


The Collector's Chronicles II: Twilight Approaching

by Lady_Thorette08



Series: The Collector's Chronicles [2]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-30
Updated: 2017-02-19
Packaged: 2018-09-20 22:24:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 67,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9518603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Thorette08/pseuds/Lady_Thorette08





	1. Chapter 1

Upon hearing his office door creak open, the Collector looked up to see Kronos entering the room, a pile of papers clutched tightly in one hand.

"You've been gone almost a month, Kronos. Do you know the chaos that has ensued without you here to keep order? This lead had better be worth it." the elderly man grumbled, glaring over his spectacles at the Titan.

"So that stupid servant girl found her way home after all. I guess she isn't as useless as I thought." 

"No, Sephora had to rescue her from a ditch. You know I don't approve of you disabling my staff, Kronos. Bringing in new help without exposing our whereabouts is a difficult and strenuous process that I don't have time for." the Collector scolded his spirit. "Just because you are my second in command doesn't mean you can do whatever you like. This is still my house and you are still nothing more than a servant."

"But humans are so annoying and dumb! Their simplicity is such a burden! Besides, if one of them dies, I can easily abduct a replacement from one of the little remote villages nearby. Problem solved-"

"And what if word gets to the Magic Council? What if they put the pieces together and pinpoint your location? We humans are smarter than you give us credit for." the Collector growled. Slowly, he reached for Kronos' key, which was one of many he kept on a thick silver chain on his neck. "It would seem you have forgotten how far beneath us you truly are; perhaps I need to remind you."

Kronos' stomach lurched when he noticed the man's fingers curling around the platinum key. For a moment, the servant and his master glared at one another in a silent standoff, waiting for the other to act. Finally, with his jaw clenched angrily, the Titan got down on his knees and bowed with his face pressed against the wooden floorboards.

"I apologize, master." he spat out, his hands curling into fists. "I am nothing more than a lowly servant who momentarily forgot his place. I have insulted you and wasted your time with my foolishness. I deserve punishment and accept it humbly. Please deal with me however you wish."

For a moment, the Collector did nothing. Slowly, he let go of Kronos' key and allowed his hand to drop. "Very good. You will first heal that servant's eyes, and then you will do her chores for the day. Any outbursts or resistance will result in further punishment, understand?"

"Yes sir."

"After you have finished, do something about that hair of yours. You're starting to look like a woman and I'm sick you shedding everywhere."

Kronos clenched his fists tighter. "Y-Yes master."

"Good. Now get off the floor and show me what you've found."

Rising to his feet, the Titan tossed the papers he had been holding onto the Collector's desk. Despite being slightly wrinkled, they all appeared to be in great shape. Sitting on the top of the stack was a copy of a Sorcerer's Weekly magazine from a few weeks earlier, and smiling up at her grandfather from the cover was none other than Sierra. The Collector raised an eyebrow.

"She finally resurfaced, eh?" he mused.

"It would seem so. She has joined a guild by the name of Fairy Tail as well."

"What does that have to do with the treacherous lion who killed my Karen?"

"Well, you do recall the rumors suggesting that Sierra was responsible for her cousin's death?"

"Absolute rubbish. Sierra is a lot of things, but she isn't a killer. She doesn't have the guts."

"I hate to disagree with you, master, but it appears the rumors might actually be right."

The Collector frowned. "How so?"

"The woman beside Sierra in the picture is a celestial mage by the name of Lucy Heartfilia. I did some research on her and learned she currently owns ten of the twelve Zodiac keys, including Leo and Aries, both who belonged to Karen. Doesn't that seem somewhat suspicious to you?" Kronos cooed, watching his keyholder closely.

The elderly man's frown deepened. "Yes, it does. It can't just be a coincidence, can it?"

"I don't believe so. Miss Heartfilia rose to fame only three years after Karen's death, and now Sierra has become far more popular than Karen ever was."

"So you're basically saying that Sierra killed Karen out of jealousy and she asked this Heartfilia girl for help? That's absurd!"

"Is it really? Think about it. Karen was always your favorite and the world's favorite. She was showered with attention and love while Sierra was stuck in an ever growing shadow. Desperation makes people willing to do anything, even kill."

The Collector considered what his spirit had said for a moment then shook his head. "I don't believe it. The idea is far fetched to begin with, and without any hard evidence to back up your claim, it is nothing more than a poor theory. Sierra may have liked some attention, but that would not be enough to motivate her to murder her own cousin. She adored Karen."

"Well, perhaps that wasn't her only motivation." Opening the magazine, Kronos flipped to a certain page. It was another picture of Sierra, but her blonde accomplice had been replaced by none other than Leo the Lion himself. The spirit had his arms wrapped around the girl's waist from behind while his lips hovered centimeters from the skin of her neck. Sierra, meanwhile, had a bright smile on her face as she held the boy by his tie. The Collector stared at the image in horror.

"Your granddaughter and the lion recently came out as a couple, and the media adores them." Kronos stated simply. He could barely keep himself from smiling. "Do you believe me now?"

"I....I never would have expected Sierra would sink so low.....That stupid lion is to blame! He corrupted her!" the Collector roared angrily, hurling the magazine into the office fireplace. The flames hastily gobbled up the paper, leaving nothing but ashes in their wake.

"What are your orders?" Kronos asked.

"I want those three dead. Wait, no! Killing them all is too kind. Kill the Heartfilia girl and then bring Sierra and the lion to me! I will deal with them personally!"

A smug grin crept onto Kronos' face as he watched the rage swirl in the Collector's eyes. "As you wish, my liege. Who would you like sent?"

"Start with the sisters, and if they fail, send Sephora. I also want a guardian sent to protect whoever holds the last two Zodiac keys to prevent Miss Heartfilia from getting too powerful."

"Are you saying that you don't believe we, your humble servants, will be able to stop her if she gets all twelve keys? Master, why do you have so little faith in us?"

"I do have faith in you, but I just want to be safe. No more lives must be lost by that girl's hand."

"Your wish is my command. The girl will not live to see another dawn." Kronos bowed humbly before exiting the office. As he closed the door behind him, the Titan let out a chuckle.

"That's it, you old fool. Let your rage blind you. Play yourself right into my hands. You made be my keyholder, but I am the master who pulls the strings from behind the scenes." he mumbled to himself as he pulled a piece of paper from his pockets.. He slowly unfolded the page he had torn from the magazine and stared at it. Lucy and Sierra were posed side by side, each of them holding a white key. Grinning, the spirit ran his fingers over the picture as he stared lustfully at the key in Lucy's grasp.

"I must thank you, little lion. Your master's death will be the beginning of my freedom."

((Hi everyone! Thank you for picking up the next book in the Collector's Chronicles trilogy. Your support means a lot more to me than you know. I have a small announcement for you guys. If you like this series, I have a Deviantart fanpage for it where I will be posting pictures of characters and other things related to this book. So please go check it out and enjoy this next installment in the tale of Kiyo, Hana, and Sierra.))


	2. Chapter 2

"You're heading off where?!" Mirajane asked as she blinked in surprise at the green-haired Mage standing in front of her. She couldn't have heard him correctly.

"I'm going to look for an Exceed village. There's supposed to be one nearby." Freed repeated as he finished packing the food the barmaid had brought him into a small sack.

"Okay, but why are you looking for the Exceeds?" Mira's eyes suddenly took on a miscue ions sparkle. "This doesn't happen to have anything to do with Hana not having an Exceed partner, does it?" 

Freed blushed bright pink. "Crap! She figured it out!"

The mischievous barmaid chuckled when we saw the man's bright cheeks.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. That's so sweet of you though. You really like her, don't you?" she sang.

"Shh! Keep your voice down!"

"Calm down, Freed. No one is going to tell her before you're ready, and if they do, they'll have to deal with me."

Freed was slightly relieved to hear those words. "Thank you, Mira. I better leave now before Bickslow and Ever find me and start asking questions."

"Alright. Good luck, Freed! Don't get lost!" the barmaid called, waving farewell as the other mage left through the open doors.

Freed gazed up at the guildhall fondly. With the help of her spirits, Sierra had managed to rebuild it rather quickly, much to everyone's delight.

"Hopefully it stays this way for a while." the man thought to himself before turning and heading down the street. However, just as he reached the end, the sound of running feet echoed behind him. Freed spun around just as a pair of arms enveloped him in a tight hug, and a smile crept onto his face as he stared into a pair of familiar green eyes.

"FREEDIFINISHEDIFINISHEDIFINISHED!!!" Hana exclaimed excitedly.

"Hana, slow down. I can't understand what you are saying." Freed chuckled.

"Freed, I finished! I finished the books you gave me!" Hana repeated happily, holding up the stack of children's books that the male had given her.

Freed's jaw dropped. "All of them?! But I just gave them to you a week ago! How did you finish them so quickly?"

"I read every chance I got. I had trouble with some of the words, but Sierra and Lucy helped me when I got stuck." Hana beamed. "So, what books do I get to read next?!"

Freed smiled fondly at the Dragon Queen. "Well, that all depends on how you do on your test."

Hana frowned. "My test? You never said anything about there being a test!"

Freed chuckled as the dragonslayer scowled at him. "Relax. It won't be hard. You'll pass with flying colors."

"You promise?"

"I promise. Meet me at the 8-Island restaurant around dinnertime tonight and I'll give you your exam."

"Why can't I take it now?"

"I'm heading out on a solo mission at the moment and won't be back till later."

"A solo mission? You mean you're not taking Bickslow, Evergreen, or Laxus with you?" Hana asked worriedly.

"Yes, but it's a fairly easy mission. I'll be fine, I promise." Freed smiled, placing a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder.

"You better not be lying, otherwise I'll rescue you only to beat you up myself afterward." Hana grumbled, crossing her arms. 

"Understood. Now you should hurry home. You need to study, after all." Freed stated. However, as he turned to leave, Hana grabbed his hand and held onto it tightly.

"Freed, are you sure you'll be okay? I know that you're strong, but I can't help worrying. Maybe you should take someone with you." she said, staring up at him with eyes as wide as saucers.

"I'll be fine, Hana. I promise. Here-" Freed quickly removed a piece of paper from his pocket, scribbled something on it, and then handed the note to the Dragon Queen, "-if I get into any trouble, that rune will start flashing and making really loud noises. If that happens, you come after me, okay?"

Hana sighed. "Fine."

"Good. Now I have to go otherwise I won't get back before dark. Farewell for now and don't forget to study!" Freed exclaimed as he spun around and headed down the street.

"I thought you said the test was going to be easy!"

"It will be for someone who studies!" 

"Freed!"

The green-haired mage chuckled and continued on his way towards the outskirts of town. However, as soon as Hana was out of sight, he allowed the blush he had be suppressing to creep onto his cheeks.

"You've barely started reading yet you managed to finish all of those books in a week. Hana, you truly are amazing." he mumbled to himself.

"I'll tell her you said that."

Freed's eyes snapped up in surprise and his heart nearly stopped when he saw Laxus leaning against a building a few feet in front of him.

"W-What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the guild?" the green-haired Mage stuttered.

"I was on my way there actually, but I had to make sure I ran into you before you left. Here, this is a map of the quickest route to the nearest Exceed village in the mountains. I can't let you get lost otherwise Hana will have my head."

Freed stared blankly at the piece of paper in his boss' hand. "Laxus, I'm not-"

"Freed, I'm not stupid, and neither are Bickslow and Ever. We figured out about your crush and your little plan a long time ago, and honestly, we think it's kind of cute."

"It is not cute." Freed grumbled. He paused for a moment. "If you tell anyone about this, Mira will kill you."

"So she knows about too? Eh, can't say I'm surprised. I swear that our lips are sealed." Laxus purred with a wink. "Now take the map and go. You don't want to get back after dark and be late for your date tonight."

"My date? What date?"

"Your date with Hana. You asked her to meet you at the 8-Island restaurant around dinnertime, did you not?"

"Y-Yes but it's not a date! I asked her to meet me there so I can test her reading ability and access whether or not she is ready for harder books."

"So you mean to tell me that your teacher took you out to eat whenever you had to take a test? Freed, I think your teacher was a pedophile."

"I DID NOT ASK HANA ON A DATE!!!"

"Whatever you say. You had better get going though. If you don't leave now, you won't have enough spare time to get ready for your date, I mean test, with Hana."

"Why you...you...you....Ugh!" As his cheeks burned fire engine red, Freed snatched the map from the blonde's hand and took off running down the street, Laxus' laughter ringing in his ears.

"I did not ask Hana on a date. I did not ask Hana on a date. I..." Freed paused for a moment and thought about what the lightning dragonslayer had said. His eyes widened as the realization hit him. "Oh my gosh, I asked Hana on a date!!!"

\------------------

Freed's cheeks did turn back to their normal color until he was almost to the Exceed village.

"I can't believe this! I can't believe I asked Hana on a date and didn't even realize it! Oh my gosh, does she realize it's a date?! She probably thinks I'm trying to take advantage of her! I could show up at the restaurant tonight and find the police waiting for me! No, I'm overreacting. Tonight is not a date...is it?"

A loud yelp shook Freed from his thoughts.

"Hey, watch where you're going! You're stepping on my tail!"

The green-haired mage looked down to see a fluffy black and white Exceed carrying a basket of fresh fish glaring up at him. Tucked beneath his boot was the winged cat's tail.

"Oops, my apologies! I didn't see you there." Freed stated, quickly lifting his foot so the cat could scamper out from underneath him.

"Would've helped if you were paying attention." the cat grumbled sourly, rubbing his tail gently as it throbbed. "What's a human doing around here anyways? The nearest town is miles away."

"I'm actually looking for the Exceed village on this mountain, but it would appear my map is incorrect. Could you take me there?"

"The village? Why's a human interested in our village?" The Exceed glanced Freed up and down suspiciously. "You're not here to hurt us, are you?"

"No no, I come on peaceful terms. I'm actually hoping to do business with one of your people."

The winged feline continued to glare at the green-haired mage, his eyes no more than narrow slits. "How do I know that I can trust you?"

Freed thought for a moment then pulled sword from its scabbard. "Will holding onto this for me until I've left reassure you?" he asked, squatting down to the cat's level.

The Exceed gawked as the the weapon was gently placed in his arms. "I-I guess-Wait, is this sword going to magically fly back to your hand the minute you need it?"

The green-haired mage laughed, shaking his head. "No, it won't do that. Will you take me village now? I'm kind of in a hurry."

The cat glanced back and forth between the man and the sword. "Fine. Lucky for you, I was already heading that way to sell these fresh salmon. Follow me."

The odd pair continued down another road perpendicular to the original one. As the cat walked, he cast a few glances back at Freed, who made sure to look out for the feline's swishing tail as he walked behind him. Before long, the two arrived at a small village with cats of all shapes and sizes. As Freed set foot in the town, many of the felines turned and stared at him. A group of kittens who had been playing with a ball set down their toy and scampered to hide behind their mothers. As an uneasy murmur rose from the crowd, a single, fluffy, silver-furred female with black stripes emerged from the masses.

"Kunio, why have you brought a human to the village?" she asked, her eyes never leaving Freed.

"He is here on business. He even gave me his sword to prove he comes in peace, see?" Kunio stated, holding out the weapon for the elder.

The other feline raised an eyebrow and glanced from the sword to the human. "Did you check him for another weapon?"

Kunio's face fell. "What?"

"He could be carrying more than one weapon, baka! Have the attacks on this village taught you nothing?!" the female snarled, her eyes narrowing.

Kunio whimpered in fright and took a few steps back.

"You!" the female Exceed growled, pointing at Freed. "Remove your coat then put your hands where I can see them!"

Freed's eyes widened in surprise, but he hastily did as he was told.

"Now get down on your knees and put your hands behind your head. You're under arrest."

"Arrest? For what?!"

"Trespassing and giving an unlicensed cat a weapon."

"He was just holding it for me!"

"Tell it to the judge."

\-------------------

Freed shifted uncomfortably in his chair as the two Exceed guards watched him from the other side of the room. He had been waiting in the interrogation room for a good few hours but no one had come to seen him yet.

"I don't have time for this. If I don't get back on time, Hana will come looking for me, assuming the distress note I gave her hasn't already gone off, and then everything will be ruined. I have to get out of here." he thought to himself.

Suddenly, the door between the two guards opened and in stepped a female Exceed who stood over six feet tall. A tank top and pants hugged her toned figure, and extending from her back were wings almost as long as Freed was tall.

"You are dismissed." she said calmly to the guards, who quickly left the room and shut the door behind him. With her shoulders back and chin held high, the feline made her way over to the table Freed was seated at and lowered herself into the other chair. The green-haired mage stared intently at the cat; she looked somewhat familiar.

"You're the Exceed from earlier, the one who arrested me." he realized.

The cat smiled. "My name is Skylar; I'm the head of security for this village."

"I see. Why did you change?"

"I find using this form for interrogations produces results more quickly." Skylar sneered. "Now, why are you here?"

"I already told the black and white cat. I'm looking for an Exceed who would be willing to enter into a partnership with a dragonslayer."

"You're lying. You came here to hurt us." The cat hissed. Reaching into her pocket, she removed a slip of paper and unfolded it. "What is this and why is it flashing?" she asked, pointing to a rune that was written on the page.

Freed paled. "Crap! It activated."

"H-How long has that been going off?" he asked in a voice barely above a whisper.

"About an hour or so. Why?" Skylar frowned when she noticed the human's expression. "Is it a bomb? If so, I'll shove it down your throat." she growled.

"No, it isn't a bomb, but it's not a good sign either. You need to let me out of here immediately."

The Exceed's eyes narrowed. "Why? What is it?"

"It's a homing device. I gave it to one of my colleagues in case I got myself into trouble-"

"So you're calling in backup to help you take us out?"

"No! I just came here to do business with one of your people, that's all!"

"Then why do you need a homing device?"

"Because if I didn't take it, I wouldn't have been allowed to come here. Now please let me go before the dragonslayer-"

Frightened screams cut him off, and the door to the room swung open as a blur of motion streaked towards the two. Freed closed his eyes as he and Skylar were propelled backwards, and when he opened them, he saw a rather angry looking Hana sitting on top of him.

"I'm so dead."


	3. Chapter 3

"Hana, I swear I have a perfect explanation for all this-"

"Great. I can't wait to hear it along with all your other lies." The Dragon Queen growled angrily. "You told me everything would be fine, Freed; getting put in jail is not fine. I warned you what would happen if I had to rescue your sorry hide, did I not?"

Freed gulped nervously, but before he could say a word, Skylar sprang to her feet and lunged at Hana, knocking her to the ground.

"You dare attack me, human?!" she roared as she pinned the woman to the floor.

"Um, excuse me, I was in the middle of a very important conversation with my teacher. You're going to have to wait a minute." Hana stated before kicking the large Exceed off of her and into a wall. After rising back to her feet, the dragonslayer grabbed hold of Freed by his shirt collar and pulled him so close that their noses almost touched.

"You better start talking if you don't want to wind up as a stain on the floor." she hissed eyes narrowing.

Beads of sweat dripped down Freed's face as his heartbeat raced. While he was definitely scared for his life as the Dragon Queen glared daggers at him, he couldn't help being utterly enchanted by her stern firmness. "Just like a real queen, although she may be a little more rough and a little less regal than most-"

"I'm waiting." Hana snapped, shaking the other mage from his thoughts.

With a nervous laugh, Freed began choosing his words with care. "Okay, when I left town, I wasn't actually going on a job request-"

"Gee, really. Like I didn't figure that out already."

"Hana, please just listen. I-"

Suddenly, Skylar slammed into Hana, causing her to drop Freed, and the two females went tumbling through the wall and out into the open. Dozens of other Exceeds ran screaming as the two wrestled in the middle of the road.

"Heh, you're pretty strong for a cat." Hana sneered. "You're still nothing compared to me though. All bark and no bite."

"The other human sounded pretty scared of you; I don't see what the big deal is though. You don't seem very intimidating to me." Skylar snarled back.

"You should have listened to him because now I'm going to beat you into worm food!" With a grunt, Hana drew both of her legs beneath Skylar and slammed her heels into the cat's gut with all her might. The feline went flying into the air, but she quickly spread her wings and caught herself.

"Bad move, dragonslayer. The sky is my territory!" Skylar exclaimed before diving straight for Hana.

"You can seriously say that with a straight face to a dragon? My people ruled the heavens far before any of you Exceeds first spread your wings. You know nothing compared to them. Roar of the Lightning Sky Dragon!" Hana bellowed, and a stream of wind and lightning shot towards the feline.

Skylar's eyes widened and she narrowly dodged the attack spiraling towards her. "Dragonslayers are only supposed to control one element! What kind of abomination is this woman?!"

Hana's lips curved into a smile, and she lunged for the Exceed warrior, aiming for the cat's wings. Landing square on the cat's back, she grabbed hold on the feathery appendages and hastily forced them shut, sending Skylar sailing towards the ground. The two crashed into the earth, creating a large crater, and when the dust settled, Hana had the Exceed pinned to the ground by her throat.

"Ready to give up yet?" she smirked.

"Hardly." Skylar hissed back, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a small ball. She immediately crushed the orb in her hand, and a cloud of black smoke engulfed everything within a five foot radius. Shoving the dragonslayer off of her, the cat retreated into the safety of the cloud's edge.

"Smoke, huh? Nice try. Wingslash of the Sky Dragon!" the Dragon Queen shouted, swinging her arms. Mighty blades of wind ripped the smoke cloud to shreds, revealing Skylar as she charged at Hana from the left. The dragonslayer hastily caught the Exceed by the arm and twisted the limb until the cat fell to her knees, hissing in pain.

"Not bad. This has been a lot more entertaining than I thought it would. I'm still just warming up though." Skylar snickered before kicking Hana's legs out from under her with one swipe. She quickly drove her elbow into the human's sternum and smiled as she heard a pained gasp escape the woman's throat.

"Ready to give up yet?" she mocked as she pushed her elbow further into the girl's chest.

"What's the matter? Are you feeling sleepy? Does the kitty need her afternoon nap? Here, let me help you. Iron Fist of the Earth Dragon!" the Dragon Queen sneered back and punched Skylar square in the jaw. The Exceed went tumbling backwards before slamming into the side of the crater. Raising herself onto her hands and knees, she spat out some blood then wiped her mouth on the back of her arm, glaring at Hana the entire time.

Meanwhile, Freed sat crouched behind a nearby building, watching the fight. After retrieving his sword from the prison's weapons vault, he had tailed the two females in case anyone tried to interfere, but fortunately, most of the other Exceeds appeared to be far too frightened to go anywhere near the tussling warriors. However, a few curious youths had dared to take a closer look and were currently knelt behind a large, decaying tree trunk, peering curious into the crater. Beside the tree was a large, smooth gray boulder, and the youngest Exceed of the group had decided to climb on top of it so she could get a better look at the foreigner. However, as Skylar's body slammed against the side of the crater, the kitten lost her footing and tumbled into the hole, landing on her leg. She let out a painful yelp, causing Hana and Skylar to look at her, and rose up onto her other leg, leaning against the ditch's earthen wall for support. Her friends gasped and leaned over the edge of the pit to see if the kitten was alright. Unfortunately, the trees weak roots could not support their weight at fell forward, heading straight for the youngest Exceed as it dragged her friends down with it.

Skylar and Hana reacted instantly. Spreading her wings, Skylar caught the falling youths while Hana raced toward the grounded kitten. Scooping the young feline into her arms, the Dragon Queen shielded the youth with her own body and braced herself as the rotting log came crashing down on top of them. As the wood made contact with her flesh, the tree trunk splintered into dozens of wooden shards, burying the two beings in a pile of wood chips.

"Hana!" Freed yelped, leaping out of his hiding spot and racing into the crater, kneeling before the mound of wood, he began digging desperately, ignoring the splinters that wedged themselves into his hands. After awhile, his fingers brushed against something soft and warm, and a groan rose from the pile.

"Hana?!"

"Ow..." Hana mumbled as she sat up, the young Exceed still cradled against her chest. "That's definitely going to leave a mark-"

The dragonslayer's voice broke off as Freed wrapped her in a tight hug, being careful not to squish the kitten she was holding.

"Don't scare me like that!" he cried.

"Freed, it was just an old tree. If I couldn't handle that, I couldn't call myself a dragonslayer."

"Still, you shouldn't be so reckless! You're lucky that tree didn't snap your spine and paralyze you! You could've been badly hurt or worse!" Freed exclaimed, his voice trembling as tears threatened to spill down his cheeks.

Hana's eyes widened in surprise and she hastily tried wiping away her friend's tears. "Freed-"

"Promise me you'll be more careful next time!"

"I-I'll be more careful next time, I promise. Please stop crying." Hana whimpered.

Sniffling, Freed blinked rapidly until his vision cleared. Hearing whispers, he glanced up to see the villagers had all crowded around the rim of the crater.

"Uh oh."

Hana looked up as well and her eyes narrowed when she saw the other Exceeds. "Freed, get behind me."

As the two races stared warily at one another, the young feline in Hana's arms began to stir.

"H-Huh? What happened?" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes with her paw.

"You fell into this crater and judging by the swelling, my guess is you broke your leg. Afterward, the tree your friends were climbing in fell, but they're okay."

The kitten stared up at the dragonslayer with wide eyes. "You-You saved me. You shielded me so I wouldn't get crushed. But you're a human...."

"Not all humans are bad. You just have to meet the right ones." Hana chuckled. "Now, what's your name, little one?"

"Lulu..."

"Lulu, can you point out your mommy or daddy for me?"

Lulu timidly nodded and scanned the crowd. After a moment, she pointed at a female Exceed whose fur was a slightly darker shade of her child's. Rising to her feet with Freed's aid, Hana made her way toward the kitten's mother, the crowd parting like the Red Sea as she walked.

"Next time, keep a closer eye on her, especially if there are foreigners in this village." the dragonslayer chastised Lulu's mother lightly as she knelt before the Exceed and placed her daughter in her arms. Turning to the crowd, the Dragon Queen asked, "Is anyone here a doctor?"

Murmurs rose from the crowd, and an elderly looking white cat stepped forward.

"Tend to this girl's wounds. I'll cover the expenses." Hana ordered, removing a pouch of money from her pocket and undoing the cord.

Skylar watched from above as the dragonslayer counted out enough Jewel to pay the doctor with and then gave him a little extra to ensure the girl was treated well. Landing gracefully, she set down the kittens she was carrying and approached Freed.

"It would seem that I owe you an apology." she stated, staring at the mage's feet. "I hope you can forgive me for this misunderstanding. I was just trying to protect my people."

"I understand. After having many negative encounters with humans, it's only natural that you would develope a suspicion towards all of us." Freed replied calmly.

"I-I would like to see more good humans. Perhaps then I will be able to tell them apart from the bad ones. Is...Is that partnership still available?"

Freed smiled. "Yes. Would you like to apply?"

"I need to think about it. As much as I would like to accept, I am this village's greatest protector. If I leave them, they will surely perish in my absence."

The green-haired mage thought this over for a moment. "What if I placed a magical barrier around the town that only allows Exceeds in and out?"

Skylar gaped at him. "You can do that?"

Freed nodded.

"I-I accept then."

"Great how long do you need to pack?"

"A few moments at most."

"Alright, meet Hana and I at the edge of the city in ten minutes, and don't be late! We want to make it home before the sun goes down."

"Home? You mean you two live together?"

Freed's face turned the color of Erza's hair. "N-No!"

"But you said-"

"I meant home as in our hometown!"

"Oh. My mistake." Skylar quickly turned before the human could see her smile. 

\-----------------

Hana frowned as she stared at Skylar, who had shifted back to a regular size, from across the booth. "So you're not actually over five feet tall?"

"No. That is a form I use only for battle and interrogations. Now please stop staring at me; it's rude." the Exceed replied simply as she sipped her drink.

"So Freed, why did you want to take me to a restaurant for my test? Shouldn't I take it someplace quieter so I can focus better?" Hana asked as she gazed at the numerous tables surrounding the trio's own.

Freed blushed bright pink, which caused Skylar to smirk. The feline had quickly learned of Freed's crush on her new partner and was quite amused by it.

"Ah..I, um...well, you see I..." Freed stuttered, desperately trying to come up with an explanation. "Well, many of the books I gave you were food related, right?"

"Yes. I was actually wondering about that. Why do so many children's books involve eating and food?"

"Uh...the quickest way to children's hearts is through their stomachs. Anyways, I figured that having your test at a restaurant would be fitting due to everything you read this week. Secondly, this is a good simulation of when you need to use reading for things other than books. Finally, I figured it would sort of be a reward for all your hard work."

"Oh! Okay! That makes sense! So what's my test?"

"It is going to be an oral exam. You are going to order dinner for the three of us, including an appetizer and dessert. However, each time you make a suggestion, you must read the ingredients as well as any side notes. The tests ends when Skylar and I are no longer hungry. Understand?" Freed explained, picking up his menu.

Hana nodded and quickly grabbed her menu. However, when she saw the thousands of words on the page, she bit her lip. "Crap, there's so many!"

Freed noticed the change in Hana's demeanor and gently took one of her hands in his own. "You're going to do great, I know it." he whispered encouragingly.

The Dragon Queen stared at Freed for a moment then started to smile. Taking her menu, she held it up to hide her blushing face. "He believes in me!"

Since she was sitting diagonal of Hana, Skylar could still see part of the dragonslayer's face and smiled when she saw the red dusting her cheekbones. "So she likes him too. Great, I get dinner and a show for free. This partnership is great!"

"So Hana, why don't you start with the appetizers? Pick three and then read them out loud for Skylar and I?" Freed said, glancing up at the Dragon Queen.

"O-Okay, taking a deep breath, Hana began scanning the page until she found the appetizer section and hastily picked out three of the choices. "Well, I think the fried pickles, the potstickers, and the dragon rolls all sound good."

"What is in each one?"

"The fried pickles are just breaded pickle slices dipped in hot oil. The pickles are accompanied by a ranch sauce for dipping. The potstickers contain shrimp, beef, and vegetables, and the dragon rolls are made up of eel, cucumber, and avocado."

Freed glanced over the menu and smiled. "Excellent, you pass the first portion of the test. What do you think sounds the most appetizing, Hana?"

"I-I thought you said you were going to choose."

"You go ahead. I honestly can't decide."

Hana glanced once more at the three appetizers. "I'm stuck between the dragon roll and the potstickers. Skylar?"

"I've never been a big fan of eels, so let's go with the potstickers." the Exceed said and sipped her drink some more.

Freed ordered the potstickers and wishing moments they were brought out, steaming fresh. There were six of the dumplings, so each person got two.

"Good choice, Skylar. These are delicious!" Hana grinned as she finished her second dumpling. Picking up her menu, the Dragon Queen opened it once more. "Am I looking at entrees now?"

"Yes. You need to pick out not only a meal for yourself but something for Skylar and I as well."

"Okay. Skylar, I apologize for asking, but do you like fish?"

Skylar chuckled. "Yes, but I prefer other meats."

"Hmm, how about the-" Hana suddenly stopped and started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Skylar asked, confused.

"One of the meals here is named after Natsu, one of the other dragonslayers from my and Freed's guild."

Freed frowned and glanced at the menu. To his surprise, he quickly found the dish Hana was talking about: The Dragneel Burger.

"I don't recall seeing that before. It must be a new addition."

"Well, what's it called and what's in it?" Skylar asked.

"The Dragneel Burger contain three beef patties topped with crisp bacon and smothered in a barbecue sauce so spicy only a true dragonslayer can handle it." Hana answered, reading the description word for word. "Toppings include tomatoes, jalapenos, cheese, and onions."

"And the sides?"

"Fries are included, but you can switch those out for either steamed broccoli, a side salad, a baked potato, and a bowl of fruit." Hana continued to stare at the burger. "Only a true dragonslayer, huh? Guess I better get this and defend my honor. What about you, Sky?"

"Don't call me Sky. I think I'll get the Dragneel burger as well. That just leaves a meal for Freed."

"Alright, let's see." Hana quickly continued skimming through the choices. "Freed, does Chicken Parmesan sound good to you? It's a breaded chicken breast with tomato sauce and melted Parmesan cheese on top. There's a serving of mixed steamed vegetables on the side too."

"Sounds delicious. Congratulations on passing section two of your exam." Freed smiled, setting down his menu and waving over the waiter so they could order.

After the main meal, Hana picked up the dessert menu and frowned. "Freed, they don't have any descriptions beneath these desserts."

"That's alright. Just read all of the options to us and you'll get credit." Freed said.

"Okay, there's lava cake, a hot fudge sundae, a strawberry cheesecake, and..." the Dragon Queen trailed off.

"And?"

"I...I don't know." Hana whimpered hanging her head in shame. She had been so close.

Freed gently took the dessert menu and looked at it. "Creme brûlée. The last option is creme brûlée."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"That's okay. That's the first time you've messed up all evening and creme brûlée is a little confusing. You pass!"

Hana's eyes widened. "I do?"

Freed nodded. "You've done well; I look forward to watching you grow even more. Now, you pick whichever dessert sounds best, and tomorrow I'll give you more books to read."

"Okay!" Hana broke into a wide grin. "I did it! I did it! I did it! And Freed said I did well! My heart feels like it's going to explode!"

"Hello? Earthland to Hana! Freed just asked you which dessert do you want to get?" Skylar called, waving her paw in front of the dragonslayer's face.

"Oh, uh the lava cake sounds good. Can we try that?" Hana asked, blushing.

Freed nodded and quickly placed the order. As the trio waited, the male studied Hana closely as she and Skylar chatted.

"She truly is amazing, even if she doesn't realize it." he smiled to himself. "I wish I had the guts to tell her so."

\----------------

Lucy jolted awake when she heard a loud crash in the middle of the night.

"Sierra, Hana, and Kiyo moved out of my apartment last week, so who is in my house in the middle of the night?!" the blonde panicked. However, her anxiety quickly gave way to anger. "I bet it's Natsu and Happy dropping by for a midnight snack! Why do those two always have to eat my food; don't they have their own?! I swear I'm going to kill them."

Rising slowly to her feet, the celestial wizard crept stealthily towards the kitchen, not wanting to alert the fire dragonslayer or his pesky companion to her presence. However, as she rounded the corner, she was surprised to see two women looming in front of her fridge. Both had scaly, green-tinged skin and long jade green dreadlocks that hung down their backs and seemed to move on their own. One of the intruders was tall and lanky, looming over her short and stout companion.

"Stop stuffing your face! We have a job to do!" the tall one barked in a raspy voice.

"But I'm so hungry! You didn't let me eat before we left, and I can't let my growling stomach wake up the girl!" the fat one replied as she scarfed down a whole chicken in a few bites.

"At least pick out the bones then! You know they give you indigestion!" the first sighed in exasperation.

As she watched the women, something felt off to Lucy.

"These women.....I've never seen them before in my life but they remind me of someone-"

"Well, what do we have here?"

Lucy and the two snake women spun around to see another woman standing by the window. Unlike the other two, this female's scales had a purplish pinkish tint to them, and her dreadlocks were a gorgeous fuchsia. Despite it being the middle of the night, dark sunglasses covered her eyes.

"Sisters, you're getting sloppy. I mean, I'm not surprised by Euryale's behavior, but I expected more from you, Stheno." the purple woman purple, twirling a strand of her long around her finger. The lock gave out a soft hiss.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!" the stout snake lady cried indignantly.

"It means you think with your stomach instead of your head." The tall one answered flatly.

"Shut up, Stheno!"

"Stheno and Euryale. Where have I heard those names before? And why does the purple haired woman look so familiar...." Lucy thought as she remained seated on the floor.

"Lucy, don't just sit there! Run!" her instincts whispered.

"Oh well, I guess killing her while she's awake will be faster anyways." the purple woman said. Although her glasses hid most of her face, Lucy could tell this girl had once been very beautiful.

"But the Kronos said master wanted her alive-"

"Euryale, shut up! She's not supposed to know about him!" Stheno hissed, smacking her sister upside the head.

"Ow! What does it matter if we're going to kill her anyways?!" Euryale snapped, rubbing the spot where her sister had struck her.

"Once we're done with her, she'll be too heavy to carry back. Besides, we can't waste time on her. We still have the other one to take care of before we return by dawn. Just grab her keys." the purple lady ordered, pointing at the blonde.

Lucy heard the two women approaching her from behind. "No! Don't touch them!" she cried, yanking her keyring from her belt and holding it against her chest.

"Resisting, are we? Very well, we'll pry the keys from your dead hands." hissed the purple woman as she reached from her glasses.

"Euryale and Stheno.... Euryale and Stheno.... Euryale and Stheno were two gorgon sisters who had the ability to turn people to stole if as long as they looked them in the eyes! Those weren't dreadlocks; they were snakes! They have another sister too, which means this woman is-"

As the purple woman removed her shades two reveal two piercing yellow irises, Lucy squeezed her eyes shut.

"You know it's rude not to look people in the eyes, darling." Medusa hissed, grabbing hold of Lucy by the chin. "Come on, open up."

"No!!! I'm not letting you turn me to stone!!!"

"But if you can't see us, then how are you supposed to fend us off?" Medusa snickered and threw Lucy across the apartment. The blonde screamed as she hit the wall with a thud and slid to the ground. Raspy laughter echoed from Stheno and Euryale.

"Open your eyes, deary. You're going to die either way. Might as well make it as painless as possible." Stheno sneered as she knelt before Lucy and dragged her talons across the girl's cheek. The blonde whimpered in pain but kept her eyes closed.

"I-I'm not going to die. I am a member of Fairy Tail, and I...and I am not going to die without a fight." Lucy exclaimed, grabbing the closest thing within reach, a picture frame that had fallen when she hit the wall, and smacked Stheno across the face with it. Jumping to her feet, she raced towards the kitchen; fortunately, Lucy had lived in her apartment long enough to know how to navigate through it even in the dark. Opening up one of the drawers, she grabbed a frying pan and held it tightly in both hands, her keyring hanging from her wrist.

"Please let me live until morning."


	4. Chapter 4

"Sierra? What are you doing here? It's five in the morning!" Lucy's landlady grumbled as she blinked up at the blonde through the faint light of the lampposts lining the street.

"I know and I'm deeply sorry for waking you, but I need to see Lucy."

"At this hour?"

"It's for guild business, ma'am. Could I please come in?" Sierra pleaded with a sweet smile.

The landlady rolled her eyes and grumbled something under her breath, but she opened the door and ushered the blonde inside. "You need a key?"

"Yes please. Thank you so much." 

"Just don't wake my other boarders, kid, or you, Heartfilia, and I are going to have a long talk."

"I understand. Thank you again."

"Whatever. Just leave the key under the doormat once you're done. I'm going back to bed." the old woman grumbled and shuffled off.

Sierra crept on silent feet down the darkened hallways. "Honestly, Mirajane is so paranoid. Lucy is not going to be awake at five in the morning; the girl likes her beauty sleep too much. She's not going to spoil the surprise."

For the last week, the guild had been planning a surprise party for Lucy's birthday. Whenever the blonde wasn't at the guild, her teammates were busy working on decorations, wrapping presents, preparing food, and more. However, the night before, Mirajane had gotten paranoid and made Sierra promise to keep an eye on Lucy until everything was ready, resulting in the poor mage being woken up at five in the morning to check on the birthday girl.

Once she had reached Lucy's room, Sierra quietly unlocked the door and opened it slowly, not wanting to disturb the her friend's slumber. However, the sight that greeted her caused her to gasp. Broken and overturned furniture was scattered throughout the apartment, and blood spots dotted the carpet like chicken pox. Collapsed in the middle of the wreckage was Lucy, who was panting heavily as she clutched her keys to her chest. Dozens of gashes and bruises decorated her skin and a mixture of blood, tears, and sweat coated her trembling body. Jagged breaths mixed with hoarse whimpers to create a symphony of suffering as the blonde struggled to lift the dented, mangled frying pan grasped tightly in her other hand. Sierra felt her chest tighten as flashbacks to the night of Karen's murder danced before her eyes. Lucy's kind face warped into Karen's harsh scowl, and her cousin's sharp, barking tone echoed faintly in her ears.

"Is....Is this what Karen looked like when she died?"

"S-Stay back....Don't come anyone closer....." Lucy called out in a voice barely above a whisper.

Sierra immediately rushed to her friend's side and knelt beside her, hovering over her broken form. "Lucy! Oh my gosh! What the heck happened to you?!"

"Sierra? Why are you-you can't be here. You have to go. They're after you too. Go!" Lucy cried, giving the other woman a weak shove.

Ignoring her friend's pleas, Sierra scooped up the blonde with a grunt and ran for the door. However, before she could reach the opening, a menacing hiss sounded behind her and something sharp dug in her calf. The blonde stumbled and hit the ground with a yelp, Medusa snickering as she sank her snakes as Euryale sank her fangs further into the mortal's leg.

"This one isn't any good; she has no fat on her bones. Can I have my turkey leg back?" the heavyset gorgon grumbled.

"No! You need keep flooding her system with venom till there's enough to kill her before dawn!" Medusa growled.

"But I'm positive our orders were to-"

"Euryale! How many times do I have to tell you to shut it?!" Stheno snapped, striking her sister across the face.

"Ouch! Medusa! Stheno's hitting me!" Euryale wailed.

As she stared at the wooden planks of the floor beneath her, Sierra felt lightheaded as the edges of her vision began to grow hazy. She tried to grab on of her keys, but Medusa's scaly hand grabbed her wrist.

"Oh no no no! We can't have you doing that. This is a private party; no one else is allowed without an invite." the gorgon hissed in the blonde's ear.

A whimper rose from Sierra's throat. However, when a sudden warmth filled her chest, she began to relax; she knew this feeling anywhere. "It's about time you guys showed up."

"Uh, Medusa? Their keys are glowing!" Euryale whimpered.

Medusa snarled and took several steps back. "Their spirits are trying to open their own gates. We need to leave!"

"But if we-"

"STOP ARGUING, START RUNNING EURYALE!!!" Stheno exclaimed, grabbing her sister's hand and bolting for the door.

The last thing Sierra saw before she passed out was several bright flashes and a cloud of pink fluff, and as she closed her eyes, she sensed a pair of strong arms wrapping around her.

\------------------

When she came to, Sierra found herself staring at a familiar ceiling.

"W-Where am I?" she wondered aloud.

"You're in the guild hall infirmary. Apollo and the others left a little while ago once they were certain you and Lucy would live."

Sierra turned her head and smiled weakly when she saw a familiar spirit sitting in a chair beside her bed. "Leo...."

Loke sighed and gently pressed his forehead to her shoulder. He started doing things like this quite often once they became an official couple weeks before; it was one of the many ways he showed Sierra he loved her. With a tired chuckle, Sierra reached up her hand and began stroking her boyfriend soft cat ears. A low purr escaped the lion's throat.

"How do you feel?" he cooed softly.

"Heavy and exhausted. How long was I out?"

"About seven hours."

"Seven hours?! That means it's past noon! Those three snakes are probably long gone now! Maybe if I hurry I can still catch up to them!" Sierra exclaimed as she tried to sit up in bed. However, Loke easily pushed her back onto her mattress and held her down.

"Leo! Let me go!" the blonde protested, squirming beneath his iron grasp.

"Sierra, please stop fighting me! You're in no condition to fight right now." Loke begged his lover.

"No! If those three escaped, then they're just going to come back and try to hurt us again! And next time, they might hurt someone else to get us! What if they hurt you or Kiyo or Hana?! I can't let that happen!"

"They won't be coming back, not after the beating they got. Now please just lay down and try to relax."

Seeing as resistance was futile, Sierra sighed in surrender and stopped struggling. Satisfied, Loke let go of her arms and returned to his seat, placing his head back onto his girlfriend's shoulder.

"Was everyone worried?" Sierra asked as she resumed stroking her boyfriend's fluffy hair.

"Yeah. Hana was probably the most upset. She started complaining that she couldn't take her eyes off you for one minute without you almost dying." the lion spirit chuckled.

Sierra managed a weak laugh. Suddenly, she heard a soft groan from the bed beside her own.

"S-Sierra? Loke? Where are we? What happened to the gorgons? And why do I have a splitting headache?"  Lucy mumbled as she sat up, rubbing her temples.

Before either could respond, the door to the infirmary was thrown open, and Hana stormed in.

"YOU TWO HAVE SOME EXPLAINING TO DO!!!" she bellowed.

"Ow! Can you keep it down? My head hurts!" Lucy whimpered, her hands clasped over her ears.

Hana ignored her and turned to Sierra, her face set into a firm scowl. "I'm waiting for an explanation as to why you always have to get yourself into trouble when I'm not around to save your arse. Didn't you hear them?! Why didn't you at least yell for help?! Why didn't you use your head?!"

"I-I'm sorry. W-When I saw Lucy all beat up, I-I started thinking about Karen and the night she died, and my emotions clouded my judgement. I-I'm sorry." Sierra whimpered as fresh tears flooded her eyes.

Hana's face softened when she saw her friend's sad expression. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, she wrapped her arms around her comrade. "There's no need to apologize for having feelings Sierra. However, until this issue gets resolved, I want you and Lucy to have bodyguards by your sides twenty-four seven. Of course, I would prefer the guards to be females." the Dragon Queen said, shooting Loke a glare.

"You don't trust me enough to protect her myself?" the lion spirit frowned.

"I trust you can protect her; I just don't trust you to keep yourself in line." Hana growled in a tone so menacing it made the Zodiac flinch. Turning to Lucy, the dragonslayer asked, "You have any idea why those three would want to attack you?"

Lucy shook her head.

"Do you remember anything they said? Maybe something important?"

"Not really. Everything's kind of fuzzy." Lucy muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose as she tried to focus. "I know I heard one of them mention something, a name, before the others could shut her up, but I can't remember what it was. Ugh, why am I so useless?!"

"You're not useless, Lucy, just tired. I'm sure that after a good meal and more sleep you'll be able to think a little more clearly. I'll ask Mirajane to cook both of you some warm food, and then you both need to close your eyes and take a long nap." Hana said, standing up from her bed.

"But if we fall asleep here, won't we be in the way?" Lucy asked.

Hana frowned at her. "What do you mean?"

"Hana, don't play dumb with me. I know the guild has been planning a surprise party for my birthday."

"H-How did you know?! Did Happy tell you?! I swear, that darn furball just can't keep his mouth shut, can he?!"

"No, Happy didn't tell me. I overheard Mirajane and Erza arguing over what kind of cake to get." Lucy confessed. "However, please don't tell the others. I don't want to spoil their fun."

"Well, it doesn't really matter now; the party has been postponed until we find who did this to you."

"No! Don't do that! Everyone has already worked so hard! I can't let their efforts go to waste!"

"Lucy, your health and safety are more important than some party-"

"Then I'll have a bodyguard by my side at all times! Please! Everyone was so excited; I don't want them to be disappointed."

Hana sighed and grumbled something under her breath. 

"Fine, I'll talk to Mirajane about it. However, don't be surprised if she slips some sleeping medicine into your food to make sure you don't see anything." she huffed, grabbing the doorknob and turning it.

"Thank you, Hana." Lucy grinned.

The Dragon Queen flashed the girl a small smile and left the room. Waiting on the other side, however, was Bickslow, a mischievous smirk on his face.

"Hey Hana, where were you and Freed yesterday? I didn't see you at the guild. Did you two finally go out on a date?" he snickered.

"Did you? Did you?" his dolls chanted eagerly.

Hana rolled her eyes in annoyance. "No, you baka. We went an Exceed village and got me a partner."

"Oh really? Well, where is she? I'm don't see her anywhere." Bickslow purred, mockingly cupping his hand around his eyes and scanning the room.

"She's in back getting her guild mark."

"Oh, well isn't that convenient. Let me guess, after she gets her mark she has to go feed her magical unicorn friend so I can't meet her then either-"

"Not quite. I actually need to finish unpacking my stuff at Hana's dorm in the Fairy Hills." Skylar stated as she soared over. After glancing Bickslow up and down, she smirked. "And I thought Freed looked weird...."

Bickslow's mouth hung open, "You're real?"

"Uh, yeah, last I checked." the Exceed replied sarcastically. "You really shouldn't stick your nose into other people's business. If curiosity truly did kill the cat, I would hate to see what it would do to you."

Bickslow's dolls trembled and flew to hide behind him. "Scary! Scary!" they cried out in fright.

"Uh, Hana? I'm not sure if you picked the right one. Is there any way you can exchange her for another, preferable one with less attitude?" Bickslow frowned.

"Oh no, she's the right one. Thanks for your concern though. Come on, Skylar, let's finish up here and then we can get you settled in."

Suddenly, the guild hall doors swung open and Gajeel strutted in, followed by Pantherlily.

"We're back!"

When she saw Pantherlily, Skylar froze stiff as a board, shock written across her face. Sensing someone's eyes on him, Pantherlily turned, and his jaw dropped when he saw the black and gray cat staring at him from the other side of the guild.

Gajeel frowned when he noticed his Exceed's expression. "Hello, Gajeel to Lily! You alright? Yer not sick, are ya?" he asked, waving his hand in front of the cat's face.

"Gah, stop that, Gajeel!" Pantherlily exclaimed, swatting the man's hands away. He took a hesitant step towards the other Exceed. "Skylar, is that really you?"

"You...." Suddenly, Skylar's face hardened, and after shifting into her battle form, she lunged for the black Exceed. "YOU!!!"

Pantherlily jumped back, changing into his own fighting form just as Skylar slammed into him. The angry female Exceed tackled the male to the ground and wrapped her paws around his neck, choking him.

"Am I the only one getting major deja vu here?" Bickslow asked.

"Not just you! Not just you!" his dolls replied.

"Lily! Hey you, get off my cat!" Gajeel exclaimed before charging at Skylar and ramming her in the side. The female cat went stumbling but quickly regained her balance. A low growl echoed from her throat as her pupils narrowed into thin slits, her tail swaying back and forth behind her as she clenched and unclenched her fists.

"You-You've gotten stronger." Pantherlily stuttered as he took a few shaky breaths.

"I had to after you abandoned me for that stupid human prince!"

"That's not what happened!"

"Yes it is! By bringing that child to Extalia, you chose him over me, your own sister, and got yourself banished!"

The jaws of everyone in the guild dropped. "Sister?!"

"Skylar, I didn't have a choice! He was hurt!"

"The humans had medicine and doctors of their own! You should have taken him to them and not gotten involved any further! Because of him, I was left by myself in that awful training school without you to protect me! Do you know how many nights I stared at the ceiling and cried because the bruises and cuts hurt so much? Do you know how often I closed my eyes hoping that when I woke up you would still be there or as time went on, that when I went to sleep I wouldn't wake up? Do you have any idea how many dark hours of the night I spent wondering what I had done to make you abandon me for a human when I needed you?! Every night after you left to this very day." Skylar snarled. As she spoke, her body shook and her eyes spewed tears like fountains.

Pantherlily felt his chest tighten as guilt played his heartstrings like a harp. "But I heard rumors you graduated at the top of your class-"

"Because I had to! Being at the top meant all the bullies were too scared to pick on me. Being the strongest meant they all feared me enough to leave me alone...But that fear also resulted in extreme loneliness." Skylar's ears flattened against her head, her bottom lip quivering.

"Skylar..." Taking one tentative step after another, Pantherlily inched closer to the female till she was an arm's length away then pulled his sister into a tight hug. Skylar stiffened for a moment, caught offguard, but slowly melted into her brother's embrace.

"Skylar, I wanted to see you. I wanted to take you with me when I was banished, but I wasn't allowed to go anywhere near you. I didn't want to leave you behind and I regretted doing so every day afterwards. I knew you would learn to take care of yourself but that did nothing to ease the guilt I felt. I failed you as an older brother, and I don't blame you for being upset with me. I'm sorry I missed watching you grow into a fine warrior. I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you from those jerks in your class. I'm sorry I missed your graduation, and I'm sorry most of all for making you think I didn't love you. I'm so sorry, sis."

"Lily...." With that, Skylar broke down and began sobbing into her brother's chest. As his sister cried, Pantherlily rubbed her back to soothe her, his strong arms never letting go of her for fear that she would disappear from his grasp in an instant. As they stood there, their battle forms melted away and they returned to their original chibi sizes.

"You always were a crier. I'm glad to see some things about you are still the same." he chuckled softly.

"And you always teased me that I was an ugly crier." Skylar sniffled, delivering a halfhearted punch to her brother's gut.

"What, you expect me to lie to my little sister?"

"You're a jerk."

"But I'm also your brother which means you have to love me."

Skylar chuckled and rolled her eyes. "I missed you."

"I missed you too."

"Uh, hate to interrupt, but LILY YOU NEVER SAID ANYTHING ABOUT HAVING A SISTER!!! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?!" Gajeel exclaimed.

"You never asked." Pantherlily shrugged before turning his attention back to his sibling. "Why are you here anyways?"

"I joined the guild. I'm the brunette's new sidekick." Skylar answered, nodding at Hana.

"So that's where you went yesterday? That makes more sense. Bickslow was telling everyone you and Freed went on a date but I didn't believe him for one minute." Gajeel stated proudly.

"Oh? He said that, did he?" Hana shot the mischievous mage a glare as she began to radiate with a dangerous aura.

Beads of sweat dripped down Bickslow's face as he slowly began to inch towards the front door. "O-Oh, did you hear that? I think Laxus is calling for me. Gotta go!" In the blink of an eye, he spun around on his heels and fled, the angry Dragon Queen hot on his tail.

"To heck with curiosity! You should be more worried about what I'M going to do to you!"


	5. Chapter 5

"Yo, Lucy, wake up!"

"Mmm, five more minutes." Lucy mumbled sleepily as she buried her face further into her pillow.

Natsu chuckled. "But Lucy, if you don't get up, you won't get your surprise!"

"Surprise?" Lucy repeated as she sat up, pretending to be curious. Fortunately, she was a good actress.

"Yeah! Now come on! Everyone else is waiting!" the pink-haired dragonslayer smiled, grabbing the blonde's wrist and dragging her towards the door.

"Ouch! Natsu, be gentle! You're hurting me!"

"You're being too slow! Hurry up!"

"Natsu!"

Grabbing the door handle, Natsu threw open the infirmary door with a large grin on his face. "SURPRISE!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LUCY!!!"

Lucy's mouth hung agape as she gazed at the sight before her. Jars of fireflies and lanterns hung from the rafters of the hall, illuminating the room in a faint light, and thousands of cherry blossoms covered the tables and floors. Dark blue streamers dotted with silver and gold stars hung everywhere, and matching cloths adorned the tables. A pile of presents the size of Elfman was tucked up in the balcony, the various wrapping papers shimmering, was currently being guarded by Erza. The redhead shot Lucy a stern look, sending chills up the blonde's spine as she hurriedly shuffled past. Everyone in the guild was present, except for Gildarts of course, and they all flashed Lucy warm smiles.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LUCY!!!"

The blonde felt her eyes begin to water. "Y-You guys did all this for me? I don't know what to say!"

Levy chuckled and held her friend's hands in her own. "Don't say anything then! Come and join us."

"B-But I'm still in my pajamas!" Lucy exclaimed, glancing down at her outfit. "Wait a minute, what?! Where are my pajamas?!"

Lucy's usual sleeping attire had been replaced with a knee-length, strapless baby pink dress with a sparkly silver belt.

"I returned those rags to your home; they were hardly appropriate for you to wear to a party. This is much better. Do you like it?" Aphrodite asked as she emerged from the crowd.

"I-Yes, I like it a lot."

"Good! Wait, something's missing." With a snap of the goddess' fingers, a pair of cute silver ballet flats materialized onto Lucy's feet. A necklace, bracelet, and pair of earrings appeared as well, and the girl's blonde tresses arranged themselves into a veil of loose curls.

"There, much better! You should wear your hair down more, Lucy. It makes you look even cuter. Alright, I'm off. Ta ta!" The goddess sang and disappeared in a shower of pink, heart-shaped sparkles.

"Alright, who's hungry?" Mirajane called from behind the bar covered all of Lucy's favorite foods.

The crowd immediately flocked around the fresh goodness. Scowling at his greedy guildmates, Natsu grabbed Lucy's arm once more and began shoving his way through the crowd, meeting any grumbles in protest with a stern glare.

"N-Natsu? What are you doing?" Lucy asked, blushing.

"Getting you to the front of the line. You're the birthday girl; therefore, you should be the first to eat, right? These savages can all wait their turn."

A blush crept onto Lucy's cheeks as she and Natsu approached the head of the group. With a large grin, Mirajane handed her a giant plate already piled high with food.

"I figured you would want some of everything." The barmaid winked.

"Great, now that that's settled, time to eat!" Natsu exclaimed with a smile and snatched up the nearest clean dish.

"Hey! What do ya think yer doing, Flamebrain?! Get to the back of the line!" Gajeel growled.

"I can't do that."

"Why not?!"

"Because I gotta stay close to Lucy. I'm her bodyguard, after all."

"What the heck are you talking about?!"

"While Lucy and Sierra were in the infirmary, I overheard Hana telling both of them that they each need a bodyguard for a while, so I decided I'd be Lucy's."

"You can't just do that, you baka!" Hana snapped.

"Why not?"

"Because it's supposed to be Lucy's choice, not yours! Now stop holding up the line!"

"Okay, fine then." Turning to his blonde companion, Natsu looked her dead in the eye. "Lucy, do you or do you not want me to be your bodyguard?"

Lucy's stomach knotted itself into a pretzel as every eye in the guild gazed at her. "Uh, I-I was going to have Virgo or Capricorn do it so I wouldn't inconvenience anyone here, but I guess you can be my bodyguard for now if you want."

"Then it's settled." Natsu stated, his lips curving into his signature grin. "I'm Lucy's bodyguard, meaning I must stay by her side at all times, so I'm the next one in line."

A few grumbles rose from the crowd as the pink-haired dragonslayer filled his plate full of food, but aside from that, no one caused a fuss. Taking Lucy's hand, Natsu guided her over to a table and sat her down across from him.

"Yo, Luce, you okay? Your face is all red." he asked when he noticed his companion's flushed cheeks.

"I'm fine! Stop staring at me, you baka!" Lucy squeaked, covering her face.

"Alright! Sheesh! I was just thinking that Aphrodite was right; you do look cute with your hair down." Natsu grumbled before woofing down his meal.

Lucy's heart skipped a couple of beats but as she watched Natsu stuff his face full of food like a chipmunk, the dreamy feeling disappeared almost instantly, replaced with disgust.

"He liiikkkkeeeessss you." a familiar voice suddenly whispered in her ear.

Lucy rolled eyes and elbowed Happy firmly in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. "Shut up, stupid cat."

As the evening progressed, the rest of team Natsu, Levy, and Sierra joined the blonde and the dragonslayer at their table. As Loke was sitting down, however, a hand suddenly appeared on his shoulder and jerked him back.

"Sorry Onii-san, but as Sierra's bodyguard, I need to sit next to her. However, you can take the seat next to mine!" Prince purred, sliding into the spot on the bench beside his master and flashing the other lion an innocent smile.

With a roll of his eyes, Loke plopped down into his spot and began to grumpily pick at his plate.

"What's your problem?" Gray questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"He's mad because Hana wouldn't let him be Sierra's bodyguard." Natsu answered, sneering at Loke, who glared at him in irritation. "Yeah, that's right, I heard that too. However, I thought she also said that the bodyguards had to be girls."

"If you knew that then why did you volunteer to be Lucy's bodyguard, Sulfur Breath?!" Gray exclaimed.

"I figured she would make an exception for me since I'm one of her kin, which makes me trustworthy." Natsu shrugged in reply.

"Yeah right. If you're trustworthy then I'm celestial spirit." Gray scoffed.

"Seriously? Since when? I always wondered why you and Loke were so close."

"I was being sarcastic, Natsu. I guess you really do have ash for brains."

"Hey!"

"Enough! Both of you stop arguing and behave. We're trying to have a peaceful celebration of Lucy's day of birth, and I will not have you two ruining it!" Erza snapped, glaring daggers at the bickering boys.

The fight immediately drained from Natsu and Gray as they slid as far away from Erza's end of the table as possible.

"Hana never said the bodyguard had to be a girl; she said that was what she would prefer a girl. What she really meant is she didn't want either of us picking Loke for a bodyguard so he wouldn't get any chances to be alone with his girlfriend-" Lucy explained.

"-which is completely unfair. As her lover, it is my job and mine alone to protect her. I've changed my ways, but no matter what I do, everyone still sees me as my old self." Loke interrupted, stabbing his steak with his fork.

Prince's lips curved into a small frown. "Onii-san, if you're really that upset about it, we can trade places after the party if you want. Hana would never even know-"

"I can hear you, ya know." The Dragon Queen called from her table a few yards away.

Prince immediately started shaking, his ears flat against his head, and gripped Loke's arm tightly, hoping the other lion would protect him.

Meanwhile, Sierra held her chin in her hand as she thought for a moment. "I can't really do much for Leo in this situation, but I also can't bear to see him so upset and worried. There has to be some kind of loophole-"

"That's it!" she said aloud, drawing the attention of everyone at her table to herself. She turned to Leo, her eyes sparkling. "Hana said she wanted Lucy and I each to have a bodyguard. However, she never said we couldn't have more than one, and to be honest, I think having multiple bodyguards would be more effective in the first place. They can hold each other accountable and things like that."

A broad smile appeared on Loke's face as everything clicked.

"And this is one of the many reasons I love you, my goddess." he purred, reaching around Prince to gently tussle some of Sierra's long blonde curls. "However, I can't do my job very effectively if I'm not close to you at all times, so maybe you and Prince should switch seats."

Prince frowned once more. "But I wanted to sit next to you, Onii-san....."

Sierra glanced back and forth between the two spirits, her heart torn. She wanted to make Leo happy and be beside him but at the same time Prince had been so excited to come to the party and see his role model. She didn't want to upset him.

"What do I do? What do I do?"

"I guess I can move." Prince sighed, standing up and grabbing his plate. "After all, Sierra comes first here and Onii-san is far stronger and more experienced than I am-"

"No, Prince. You stay right where you are." Loke suddenly said while he rose to his own feet. "I'll move."

"B-But Onii-san-"

"I said stay. Don't worry, I'll still be seated next to you and we'll both be close to Sierra."

Prince tilted his head to the side, a puzzled expression on his face. Slipping behind his girlfriend, Loke swiftly scooped her into his arms and hoisted her into the air.

"Gah! What the heck are you doing?! Put me down this instant!" Sierra cried in surprise.

"Calm down, darling. Just let me get comfortable." After sitting down in his girlfriend's seat, the lion lowered her into his lap, a sly grin on his lips. "There, now I'm closer to you but at the same time still next to Prince. Problem solved and everyone's happy."

"No, everyone is not happy! I'm not happy!" Sierra exclaimed, burying her tomato red face into the spirit's suit jacket.

Loke frowned, concerned. "Why not? Did I do something wrong?"

"Yes! You made a scene and now everyone is staring!"

Looking up, the lion realized she was right; all eyes were now on them. A few guild members looked disgusted and shot him disapproving scowls while Mirajane struggled to stay in control of her fangirling. 

"Well, if we've got their attention, we might as well give them a good show."

"What?! No, Leo wait!!!"

As Loke pressed his lips firmly against Sierra's, cheers and whistles of approval filled the air, followed by the thump of Mirajane fainting and hitting the ground due to the perfection of the moment.

"Onii-san!!! What are you doing?! You're a bodyguard! You're not supposed to take advantage of the person you're protecting!"

"Shut up, Prince."

A smirk danced onto Hana's lips as she watched Sierra struggling in Loke's lap, her face so red it made Erza's hair look faded.

"Serves her right for trying to find a loophole in my orders. Now she can deal with the consequences." she muttered as she turned back to her plate.

"It's a rather ironic relationship, isn't it? Loke has gone from being fawned over to doing the fawning himself. What do you think Bickslow?" Evergreen cooed.

Bickslow just glared at her.

"Oops, right, I forgot. Freed still hasn't lifted the mute spell he put on you as payback for your fibs, has he?" Evergreen snickered sarcastically. "Well, look on the bright side of things. My head isn't hurting anymore because I don't have your annoying chatter filling my ears."

Bickslow clenched his jaw angrily.

"Evergreen, quit teasing him! It's mean!" Kiyo exclaimed, scowling at the brunette. 

"Meanie! Meanie!" Bickslow's dolls sang. After their master was struck silent, they had taken to repeating after Kiyo instead for the time being.

Laxus glanced at Freed, who was quietly munching away at a salad. "Don't you think he has been punished long enough?"

"No, I think a few more hours of silence will do him some good. Maybe next time he'll think twice before spreading rumors about other people's personal lives." Freed replied flatly. "He should be thankful for getting off with such a light punishment. If Hana had gotten her way, you wouldn't be alive right now to complain."

Bickslow just rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out like a child.

Hana sighed and turned to Freed, who glanced back at her and raised a questioning eyebrow. A silent conversation seemed to pass between them as the Dragon Queen gazed at her teacher with pleading eyes while he in turn stared back. After a few minutes, a smile slowly crept onto Freed's face, and he retrieved a large package from the bag by his feet, setting it on the table in front of his student. A high-pitched squeal escaped the dragonslayer's throat and she lunged at Freed, tackling in a hug.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she gushed, squeezing him tightly.

Freed's face instantly turned bright red, partially from embarrassment and partially from suffocation. "Hana....can't.....breathe....."

"Hehe, sorry." Letting go of her friend, Hana hastily snatched up the package and ripped off the paper. However, as she stared at the contents within, her smile flickered for a moment.

"Freed, there are only three books in here. Is this some kind of joke? This isn't a challenge at all! I'll finish these within a day!" she said, her expression shifting from excitement to disappointment.

A chuckle escaped from Freed's throat. "Oh, I beg to differ. You see, these are chapter books. They're a little different than those children's books you were reading."

"Oh really? How so."

"Well, for starters, very few of them have pictures, and each page has more than one sentence."

"Let me guess, they have three?" Hana asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"No actually. Here, I'll show you." Picking up the book at the top of the stack, Freed opened it and displayed the pages. The Dragon Queen's jaw dropped.

"Are all of the pages like this?" she whimpered.

"Most of them are. The last page of a chapter might be a little shorter."

"What's a chapter?"

"Well, longer books are generally broken down into smaller sections, and these sections are called chapters."

"Oh." Hana was unusually quiet for a moment then suddenly exclaimed in a loud voice, "FREED, ARE YOU CRAZY?! I CAN'T READ THESE!!! I KNOW YOU WANT TO CHALLENGE ME BUT THIS IS RIDICULOUS!!!"

"Hana, calm down. I don't expect you to read these as quickly as you did the children's books."

"You don't."

"No, of course not. I would merely like you to read a chapter a day."

"What?! How long are they?!"

"Each one varies. Some are only five or ten pages while others are twenty pages or more."

"Great. There goes the rest of my life." Hana groaned.

"Don't be so dramatic. I wouldn't challenge you like this if I thought you couldn't handle it. You can do this." Freed cooed softly, placing a comforting hand on his student's shoulder.

As she gazed into her friend's calm blue eyes, Hana sensed the butterflies in her stomach starting to settle down.

"Y-You think so?

"Hana, you're the Dragon Queen. I highly doubt a couple of chapter books are enough to defeat you. And if you need any help, just let me know and i'll see what I can do, okay?"

"O-Okay." As they were talking, Hana had instinctively inched closer and closer to Freed. Finally realizing how close they were, her cheeks flushed bright red and she hastily scooted away, her eyes downcast.

"Well, are there any more surprises you should tell me about?" she asked.

"If I tell you then they're not surprises."

The dragonslayer's head immediately snapped up and she glared daggers at her teacher.

"Alright, alright, there's no need for that. I'll talk." he chuckled. "Since these books are longer, I want to work on your comprehension while you're reading them."

"Comprewhat?"

"Comprehension. He wants to make sure you remember and understand what's going in the book." Evergreen explained.

"Exactly, and to do so, I'll be testing you at the end of every week on the chapters you read. I may occasionally throw in some spelling or vocabulary for you to practice too depending on the chapters."

"That's great......" Hana sighed. "I can't wait to start."

"Good! We'll begin tomorrow then." Freed smiled, completely oblivious to his friend's lack of enthusiasm.

"I-I think I'm going to go get some more to eat..." the Dragon Queen mumbled, slowly rising to her feet, plate in hand, and vanishing into the crowd.

Evergreen groaned loudly in exasperation, causing her friends to look at her.

Freed frowned, concerned. "What's wrong, Ever? Is your headache back-"

"You are such a boy."

"Pardon?"

"I was hoping that since you at least try to be a gentleman, you would be a little more observant and sensitive to us women and our feelings, but you're just as oblivious as the rest of your kind." Evergreen grumbled, rising to her feet and snatching her wine glass off of the table. "I'm getting a refill. I'm going to need it."

Approaching the bar, Evergreen barely noticed the cloaked figure sitting next to the punch bowl.

"Darn it, where the heck is Mira? She's the only one who knows where the wine is kept." she groaned. Glancing at the punch bowl with disdain, she slowly poured a little into her cup and took a sip. "I guess I'll have some of this until she gets back."

A chilling chuckle escaped the throat of the hooded figure, causing Evergreen to scowl at her.

"What are you laughing at?"

"I just thought of something funny, that's all. Hey, what is something that no man has ever yet seen, which never was, but always is to be?"

Evergreen stared at her for a moment. "I think you've had enough to drink tonight, sweetheart, because you're talking absolute nonsense. Why don't you head on home-"

"Do you know the answer?"

"What?"

"I guess not. The answer is tomorrow, which you and some of your friends won't see either if you don't get this antidote for the poison I put in the punch." the woman cooed as she removed a vial on a chain from the folds of her cloak.

Evergreen immediately paled as her glass fell from her hand and hit the floor, shattering into dozens of glittering shards. "Y-You're bluffing."

"Am I?"

Gasps of surprise and horror filled the guild as Levy suddenly fell from her seat onto her hands and knees, coughing and wheezing. The small woman's body shook violently as she struggled to breathe, beads of sweat dripping down her face.

"LEVY!!!" Jet and Droy cried in alarm.

"I-I can't breathe." The bluenette whimpered as she leaned against Gajeel from support.

"I knew I smelled something fishy." Gajeel growled. He glared daggers at the cloaked figure. "Evergreen, don't just stand there! Grab her!"

Evergreen immediately reached out to grab the woman, but in that moment, an agonizing burning filled her chest. With a gasp, she staggered and grabbed hold of the counter, gripping it so tightly that her knuckles turned bone white. The entire world began to spin before her eyes, warping faces and furniture alike into abstract shapes.

"Crap, this hurts."

The woman just snickered as Lisanna, Cana, Gray, and little Romeo all collapsed as well. Climbing onto the bar counter, she sprang into the air and landed in the rafters of the building. Wrapping her legs securely around one of the beams, she hung upside down and gazed down with a jeering sneer at the many horrified faces below her.

"What can fly without wings? Time, and your time is dwindling, Fairy Tail. Hand over Leo the Lion, Sierra Lilica, and Lucy Heartfilia or face the consequences!" she sang as she swayed back and forth in the air.

Panicked whispers echoed throughout the guild, but Prince was too dazed to notice.

"That voice. I know that voice!"

"Sephora? Is that you?" he called out in a soft voice.

The intruder's head immediately snapped in his direction, and her smile dropped when she saw who had said her name. For a moment, the demented, psychopathic look left her eyes, replaced by remorse and....fear?

"N?" she whimpered. "N, please! Help me-"

Suddenly, a sharp, ear-piercing note filled the air, causing everyone to cringe. Sephora screamed in pain and covered her ears, her long fingernails digging into the side of her head as she struggled to block out the noise.

"Oh no you don't, Sephora! You go back to sleep and let the Sphinx back out." A nasally, nagging voice barked.

"P-Please! I don't want to do this!" Sephora cried, large tears beginning to spill down her cheeks.

"You don't have a choice, sweetheart, so stop complaining and make me proud. Prove your worth as my child!"

"Y-Yes, mother." Sephora hissed as the insane glimmer returned to her eyes. Turning back to the mages of Fairy Tail, she bellowed in a loud voice. "I am the The Great Sphinx, otherwise known as the Queen of Riddles, and the Fates have guided you mortals across my path. How unfortunate for you. Now, I could kill all of you now-"

"Yes! Do that!" the nasally voice from before exclaimed.

"-but where's the fun in that? No, I would much rather play with you in a battle of wits. If I win, you'll all be dead, but if you win, I shall give you the antidote for the poison your friends have ingested."

"What?! Sphinx, no! That wasn't part of the plan!"

"Deal! This will be easy!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Says the guy who has a pile of ash for a brain." Gray hissed through gritted teeth as he struggled to stay conscious.

"Don't worry, Gray-sama! Juvia will defeat the sphinx and save you!" Juvia said as she held him up.

"My game is simple, humans. I will ask each of you a different riddle. You will have ten seconds to answer-"

"Ten seconds?! Isn't that an awful lot of time?" the nasally voice whined.

"-If you fail to do so, I shall use one of my many tools to inject into you the same poison I gave to your friends. Any interference will result in a disqualification and I'll everyone instantly. The first person to answer three of my riddles will get the antidote. Since you seem so enthusiastic, I'll start with you, pretty blue." Sephora purred, leaping down from the rafters and landing on the table in front of Juvia. "What gets broken without being held?"

Juvia's brow furrowed in confusion. "Huh?"

"What gets broken without being held? You have seven seconds remaining."

Sweat dripped down Juvia's face as she struggled to come up with an answer. As the time passed, she shot Gray and apologetic glance. "Gray-sama, Juvia's so-"

"Time's up! The answer was a promise, pretty blue. Don't make 'em if you can't keep 'em!" Sephora sneered and blue a cloud of purple dust into Juvia's face. The water woman began coughing as well and collapsed on top of Gray.

"Juvia!!!"

"Who's next? Hm, you look like a fun one. I'll play with you next!" the sphinx said, springing onto another table and smiling at Gajeel. 

"Bring it, ya filthy wench!"

"Aw, you're not very nice. I'm gonna give you a hard one now. What tastes better than it smells?" Sephora cooed.

"Don't make me laugh; that's an easy one! The answer is iron." Gajeel grinned confidently.

The entire guild went silent, and a few people shook their heads.

"Uh, no. The correct answer was your tongue." Sephora stated, reaching into her pocket and producing a syringe full of purple liquid, which she plunged into Gajeel's arm. As he fell to his knees, the sphinx chuckled softly to herself. "Iron. What kind of stupid answer is that?"

"Sphinx, this is taking too long!"

"Relax, momma! They'll all die eventually. Who do you think I should play with next?"

"Hmm, the blonde one with the scar. He looks like he could be some fun."

"Aw, I wanted to save him for last." Sephora pouted put hastily made her way over to Laxus. "Alright big guy, entertain me. The more you take away, the larger I become. What am I?"

Laxus frowned as he thought hard about the question. "Are you empty space?"

"Aw, so close! I'm actually a hole. Too bad, darling." Sephora, who had been applying something to her lips, grabbed Laxus by the shoulders and kissed him roughly. A wicked fire danced in her eyes when she pulled away. "Betcha didn't think kisses could kill. Who's next?"

Freed's clenched fists shook angrily as the woman discarded Laxus like a piece of trash, letting him drop limply to the floor. How dare she treat his leader and friend that way! However, as he opened his mouth to challenge the woman, someone else beat him to it.

"I will." Prince said as he calmly approached the woman. "Hopefully your other half has taught me well."

Once more, the Queen of Riddles' expression wavered ever so slightly, but a moment later, her sneer was back.

"You think you stand a chance against me just because you and Sephora were friends, little lion? Alright, let's see what you've got. I have four legs but I cannot walk. What am I? You have ten se-"

"A table."

The sphinx blinked in surprise. "What did you just say?"

"A table has four legs but cannot walk." Prince repeated with a straight face.

"T-That's correct, but don't think you're going to win just because you got the first riddle. I was going easy on you!"

"Sure you were. Can you hurry up and move on to the next riddle please? I would like to get my hands on the antidote before all of my friends die." Prince purred smugly.

A low growl escaped the sphinx's throat.

"Poor people have me and rich people need me! If you eat me, you die. What am I-"

"You are nothing."

"How did you-Impossible! You have to be cheating!"

"I swear on my key that I'm not. Your other half was just a great teacher."

"Well, she couldn't have taught you every single riddle in the world without frying your small little kitty brain, so I'll tell you the newest addition to my book. I am the beginning of everything, the end of time and space, the beginning of every end, and the end of every place. What am I-"

An amused snort from Prince cut her off.

"Really? That's the best you've got. Gee, how the mighty have fallen. The answer to your riddle, Great Sphinx, is the letter e. Now, I believe that's three correct answers in a row so please hand over the antidote like you promised."

The woman trembled with rage as she glared daggers at Prince."You little-"

"I can't believe this! How could you disgrace me like this, Sphinx?! Oh, the master will surely break my key for this! After I die, I hope my soul is permitted to haunt your key for a few decades as payback-Unless, that is, I can convince the old man to destroy your key instead, you miserable failure."

The sphinx's eyes widened in horror as she spun toward the voice. "Mother, no!"

"Well why should I suffer when you're the one who messed up? All I did was bring you into the world; you're responsible for yourself. Yes, I'll convince the master that our failure was all your fault and he'll destroy your key instead of mine! Yes, that's perfect!"

"Please don't! Mother, I'm begging you!!!" the sphinx cried. By now, she was shaking with fear as streams of salty tears spilled down her cheeks. The once fearsome spirit now seemed completely helpless.

"It's better you than me! I can have another child if I want, but you are of no use if you can't even defeat one dumb lion! You are not one of my children; you are a disgrace!"

"How dare you!!!" Prince suddenly roared as he began to radiate a bright light. 

Everyone in the guild jumped at his sudden outburst and stared at him in awe.

"She is not a disgrace! She is not a failure! She may be in charge of herself now, but you are her mother. You were supposed to raise her and her siblings, but instead they spent their early years waiting on you as you loafed around and gorged yourself on whatever luxuries you could get your hands on. Sephora is an amazing spirit and more powerful than you'll ever be! Only a fool would choose your life over hers! Sephora isn't the failure; you are! Now quit hiding in the shadows like the slimy serpent you are and come out and fight, Mom!!!"

For a moment, a death-like silence filled the room, but it was quickly broken by the sound of something heavy being dragged across the wooden floor. Slowly, a plump woman appeared from the shadows. At first, she looked somewhat human, but a quickly glance from head to toe told anyone she wasn't. Instead of legs, the lady had a long, forest green, serpentine tail with scales that glimmered in the light. Hugging the woman's chest was a leopard tube top that was far too small for her and did not flatter her already heavy body. Smeared on her face was enough make-up to put a drag queen to shame, and a tall, black beehive hairdo sitting atop her head completely the grotesque display.

"You shouldn't take to me so casually, N. I'm your mother and deserve some respect." The snake lady chastised her son.

"I'll show you some respect at your funeral after I bury the remains of your key beneath an active volcano. And my name isn't N! It's Prince."

"Oh honey, why would you give yourself a silly name like that?"

"It isn't silly! My master gave me that name because she cares about me!"

"Oh, yes, the Lilica girl. I almost forgot about her. Thank you for reminding me."

Sierra glared at the snake woman as she turned to face the blonde.

"You must be Echidna then, the Mother of All Monsters." 

"Oh,so you've heard of me. I'm flattered to meet a fan." Echidna sneered as she slivered towards the girl.

"Don't you come any closer or I'll tear you to shreds." Loke growled as he pulled his girlfriend close.

Echidna frowned at the Zodiac. "You only have yourself to blame for all this, Leo. If you had just died during your exile like a good spirit or turned yourself in, I wouldn't have to be here and your friends wouldn't be dying."

"You're wrong. None of this is his fault!" Lucy exclaimed angrily.

Echidna raised an eyebrow at the other celestial mage. "I would kill you right now, but your time is coming soon enough so why bother with getting my own hands dirty?"

"What the heck are you talking about?" Natsu hissed angrily.

Echidna smirked. "These three have made a very powerful enemy who will not rest until justice is served. Woe to you, Fairy Tail!!! You have made a grave mistake. Now you must face the wrath of none of than the most powerful celestial wizard in the world, The Collector-"

Suddenly, a large beer mug flew out of nowhere and collided with the back of Echidna's skull, shattering upon impact. The spirit's eyes immediately rolled back in her head and she fell forward, knocked unconscious.

"Finally, she shut up." Sephora sighed.

Prince blinked in disbelief. "Sephora, is that you?"

"It's been a long time, little brother. I'm surprised you remembered my lessons on riddles." the spirit smiled sadly.

Completely dropping his guard, Prince enveloped his sister into a large hug and buried his face into her shoulder. "I missed you."

"I missed you too."

"Is it true? Are you working for The Collector?"

"Yes."

"I-Is he kind to you?"

"No."

Prince growled. "Then I'll come find you and set you free."

A sad chuckle left Sephora's lips as she stroked her younger brother's unruly mane on black hair. "I'm afraid you can't, N. The location of my master's home is a mystery even to me. Whenever there is a job to be done, I am knocked out and wake up in a different place. After the job is done, I wait until my magic energy runs out so I'm sent back to the Spirit World till my master summons me again."

"I'll still find a way!"

"I hope you do. In the meantime, I need you to do something for me. The Collector fears that despite all his contracts, he does not have enough spirits to defeat the combined strength of Miss Heartfilia, Leo, and his granddaughter, so he plans to send a small squad of spirits to a guild called Sabertooth to steal the remaining Zodiac keys from a woman there."

"Yukino!" Lucy cried in horror.

"Promise me that you will go to Sabertooth and protect the remaining Zodiacs so my master can't get his hands on them! As long as those keys are out of his reach, your master and her friends will be safe."

"I will, I promise."

Suddenly, Sephora and Echidna began to glow.

"It seems my time has run out. I need to go." Sephora sighed and placed a gentle kiss on her brother's forehead.

"No! Sis, don't leave me!"

"I have to. I'm sorry, N. Administer this to your friends and then get to Sabertooth as soon as possible." Sephora said as she placed the vial containing the antidote in her brother's hand. "I love you, little brother."

"I'm going to find you and free you, sister, even if it's hard."

"I hope you can. Goodbye, N..." Sephora trailed off for a moment. "Your master is right, Prince does suit you better."

In the blink of an eye, Echidna and Sephora were gone. Wiping his eyes, Prince hastily dashed around the guild and gave the each poisoned wizard a few drops of the antidote.

"Yukino's in danger! We have to go warn her and everyone else at Sabertooth right now!" Lucy cried.

"Lucy, wait." Erza ordered.

All eyes had turned to Sierra, who had gone completely rigid and was staring blankly at the ground. All the color had faded from her cheeks, and her heartbeat echoed loudly in her ears.

"No. No no no no NO!!! He wasn't supposed to find out! How did he find out?! This is all my fault!" she cried suddenly, burying her face in her hands as she started to sob.

"Hey, Sierra! Look at me!" Loke said, cupping his girlfriend's face gently in his hands. "This isn't your fault. You are not to blame for any of this, alright? I'm still here, aren't I? He hasn't got a hold of me yet, and he won't any time soon. Didn't you hear the sphinx? As long as we keep Yukino's keys away from your grandfather, he can't lay a finger on us."

"I don't know, Leo. It's just seems too easy."

"Well, easy or not, we know what we need to do. I'm not getting separated from you again. Tomorrow we're assembling a team and heading for Sabertooth."

\-----------------

In a shimmer of golden lights, Sephora appeared before The Collector and Kronos.

"Status report?" the Titan asked.

"Everything went according to plan. The fairies should be heading over to Sabertooth within a day or so." A look of guilt passed over the sphinx's face.

"Perfect. Tell the next team to prepare for departure." Kronos smiled.

The Collector frowned as he watched Sephora leave. "This is a risky gamble, Kronos."

"It is indeed, my master, but it shall be a rewarding one too. After all, won't your revenge taste even sweeter when you kill Karen's murderers yourself and watch the light leave their eyes from up close? Having one of us spirits do it for just won't be as satisfying."

The Collector smiled grimly as he imagined the feeling of Miss Heartfilia's keys in his grasp. "Yes, that will feel good. Still, you haven't told me your secret to killing a celestial spirit."

"In due time, master. All will be revealed in due time."

((Before anyone asks, no I did not come up with these riddles on my own. I found all of them online.))


	6. Chapter 6

"Hana, I know you handle your motion sickness better than most dragonslayers, but I think you need to put the book down. Your skin is starting to turn the color of Freed's hair." Lucy suggested, reaching for the novel in the Dragon Queen's clutches, but her hand was quickly swatted away.

"I'm fine, Lucy. Besides, I only have a few pages left and then I'm done!"

"If that's the case, then you can afford to put the book down for a bit. I would prefer to not be vomited on by a sick dragon today." Evergreen said before gingerly plucking the novel from her friend's grasp.

"Ever, give it back! I'll lose my spot!" Hana exclaimed, reaching for the book.

"Relax, Hana. I'll take care of it." After rummaging through her bag, Evergreen produced a small green ribbon, which she inserted into the book before closing it. "There, that's better. Now that we've brought you back to the land of the living, tell us about Freed taking you to get an Exceed!"

"What about it?"

"Well, don't you think it's sweet that he wanted to do that for you? He didn't even bother to get Laxus a partner; he was only thinking of you."

"Does Laxus even want an Exceed?"

"That's not the point, darling."

"I-I guess it was sweet." Hana stuttered, blushing as she gazed down at her hands, which were wringing nervously in her lap.

A smirk danced onto Evergreen's face. "Honey, you're not telling us something. What is it?"

"W-Well, Freed didn't actually take me to get an Exceed partner. It was originally supposed to be a surprise, but I caught him trying to leave town on his own and refused to let him go. He finally convinced me to let him go, giving me a slip of paper with a rune on it and telling me to go study before I met him at the 8-Island restaurant that night-"

The Dragon Queen was cut off by a high-pitched squeal from Lucy.

"HE TOOK YOU OUT TO DINNER?!"

"Well yeah, but-"

"AND IT WAS JUST THE TWO OF YOU?!"

"Well no, Skylar was there with us-"

"SHE DOESN'T COUNT!!! OH MY GOSH, FREED AND HANA WENT ON A DATE!!!"

Lucy, Erza, Kiyo, and Evergreen began to fangirl excitedly, completely ignoring the daggers Skylar was glaring at them. Sierra merely leaned back in her chair and smiled.

"I-It wasn't like that. He took me there to give me an oral exam after I finished my books." Hana said in a voice barely above a whisper.

"I know, Hana, I know. Just let them dream." the blonde smiled, patting her friend's hand comfortingly as she watched the rest of the girls giggle excitedly amongst themselves.

"Could you guys quiet down over there? I'm trying to sleep!" Bickslow complained from the other side of the train.

"No, Bickslow, we can't! This is girl stuff that you wouldn't understand, so stop sticking your nose in where it doesn't belong!" Evergreen snapped, scowling at her teammate.

"Alright, alright. Geez, what's up with them?" Bickslow grumbled as he sat back down with the boys.

Loke shrugged and turned to Laxus and Natsu. "Did you two pick up anything?"

In truth, Laxus had heard the entire conversation, and so had Natsu, despite his motion sickness. The two dragonslayers shared locked eyes, a silent agreement passing between them

"Hana just mentioned that she did really well on a test Freed gave her and the other girls were congratulating her. Nothing more." Laxus lied.

Freed forced a sigh of relief back down his throat to keep the others from getting suspicious. After flashing the two dragonslayers a grateful smile, he turned to the window and pretended to watch the passing scenery when in reality he was focused on the girls' reflections in the glass. At the moment, Hana was once again trying to take her book back from Evergreen, who passed it to Lucy and started an epic game of keep away. This time, the green-haired mage couldn't maintain in composure, and a small chuckle escaped his lips.

"Uh, Laxus? Is Freed okay? He's laughing at grass and trees." Bickslow said.

Laxus rolled his eyes. "Oh Bickslow. You really are hopeless."

"Hopeless. Completely hopeless." Bickslow's floating tiki dolls repeated.

"Hey!"

\-------------------

"CHUG!!! CHUG!!! CHUG!!! CHUG!!!"

Yukino grimaced as she watched Sting guzzle down another mug of beer.

"Rogue, shouldn't you do something?" she asked worriedly, turning to the dark-haired dragonslayer.

"You think I haven't tried? He's already too wasted to listen to me." Rogue grumbled, arms folded across his chest. "Yes, he is my bestfriend, but sometimes I wonder if someone else should have been the new guild master."

"Fro thinks so too." Frosch said as he sat on the table next to Rogue.

"Come on, Sting! Just a few more drops!" Lector cheered from beside Frosch.

Sting's lips curved into a smug smirk as he set his empty glass down on the table. 

"Ha! Beat that, Orga!" he sneered at his guildmate, his cheeks flushed from all the alcohol he had consumed.

Orga, who also was completely drunk, laughed as he picked up his own mug. However, after taking only a couple sips, the lightning godslayer's eyes rolled back in his head and he passed out, falling to the floor with a thud. Loud cheering mixed with Orga's snoring filled the guild hall, which Sting accepted gratefully.

"Who else?! Come on, anybody else want to go against me?!" he roared at the crowd while grinning like an idiot.

"Rogue, we need to do something. He's really drunk now and might hurt himself." Yukino frowned.

As he stood atop the table, arms raised victoriously in the air, a familiar scent filled Sting's nose. His eyes widened excited as they focused on the guild hall doors. As they opened, he leaped from the table and charged.

"NATSU!!! FIGHT ME!!!" he bellowed.

"Sting! Wait! We just finished repairing the guild hall!" Rogue exclaimed.

"I've got it!!! Ice-Make Floor!!!" a brunette shouted from the other side of the guild and slammed her palms against the floorboards, coating them in a thick layer of ice.

Sting yelped in surprise as his legs slid out from under him and he went spiraling across the guild before crashing into a wall. When the world before his eyes finally stopped spinning, the blonde dragonslayer lifted his head and glared at the girl, who was struggling not to smile.

"Aisul, not funny." he scowled.

"It was kinda funny." Aisul smirked back.

Sting sluggishly rose to his feet only to slip and fall again, landing on his back. "I am a third generation dragonslayer! You and your snowflakes are powerless against...Zzzzzzzzzzzz."

Rogue sighed in relief as Sting passed out and started to snore. He flashed the girl named Aisul a grateful smile, causing the brunette to quickly spin around and cover her flushed cheeks with her hands. After setting his partner down on a couch, the shadow dragonslayer approached the fairies.

"Aw, I was looking forward to fighting Sting when we got here!" Natsu whined. However, upon noticing Rogue, his signature grin quickly returned. "Hey Rogue, fight me!"

"No thank you. " Rogue said simply. Scanning the group, his eyes locked with Hana's and a weird desire to kneel before her came over him. Hana flashed him a smile.

"You must be Sabertooth's prized shadow dragonslayer, Rogue Cheney." she purred.

Rogue raised an eyebrow. "Have we met?"

"I don't believe you have, Rogue. I have no memory of a face this beautiful ever gracing the presence of anyone here at Sabertooth." Rufus purred as he suddenly appeared beside his guildmate. He gave Hana a dazzling grin that was famous for making girls swoon.

Freed immediately felt his blood begin to boil. "Why is he looking at her like that?!"

Hana felt herself blush at Rufus' comment. "He's kind of cute. His appearance reminds me a little of Freed. He's far more bold though....Wait, what am I saying?"

"Rufus, leave the girl alone. Give her a little space." Yukino chastised the flirty mage as she joined the group.

"Yukino!!!" Lucy exclaimed, throwing her arms around the girl's neck and hugging her tightly. "Thank goodness! How have you been?"

"I've been good, thanks for asking, but is something wrong? We weren't expecting any of you and you all seem to be a tad on edge." Yukino said after awkwardly returning the hug.

The fairies all looked at one another then back at Yukino. After a moment, Sierra stepped forward.

"Yukino, my name is Sierra Lilica. You are currently being targeted by my grandfather, a famous celestial mage known as The Collector. He plans to attack you and take your Zodiac keys to add to his collection. He has already attacked Lucy and myself, but he believes he needs your keys before he can defeat us. We are here to help protect you and prevent that from happening."

Yukino, Rogue, and Rufus stared at the group with wide eyes.

"Wait, what?"

\--------------------

"So The Collector is going after Loke because he still blames him for Karen's death, but he believes he can't defeat you and Lucy and take him without my keys?" Yukino asked once Sierra had explained everything.

The blonde nodded. "I know it's a lot to take in, and I'm deeply sorry that you're getting dragged into this."

"Do you have any idea who is going to be sent after her and when they'll be coming?" Rogue asked.

"No. All we know is the squad will most likely be made up of celestial spirits. They could come today or next week at any hour, so Yukino must have a bodyguard with her at all times. Kiyo and I can take the first shift." Erza stated.

Kiyo groaned. "We can?"

"No, that's alright. You all are probably tired from your journey. I can just call my new spirit to watch over me." Yukino said as she drew a pure white key out of her pocket.

Sierra's eyes widened in surprise.

"That's a minor Olympian key! Where did you find that?!" she breathed.

Yukino was startled by the blonde's outburst. "I-I received it as a reward from a job request. Why?"

"Both major and minor Olympian keys are extremely hard to find! I can't believe someone would just give one of them away as if it was nothing! Was the request extremely dangerous and difficult?"

"No. The client said he was a retired mage and too frail to use magic anymore so he asked me if I wanted his key since the it started reacting every time I walked past. When I refused, he insisted, saying he had no one else to give it to since none of his children or grandchildren were celestial mages and he didn't want his old friend falling into the hands of someone who would abuse him. I eventually took the key so he would feel at ease and finished the request."

Sierra sat deep in thought for a moment. "Something feels off here though. I'm sure you are a very kind person, Yukino, but why how would he know that you, a complete stranger, wouldn't abuse him as soon as you were out of the old man's sight? Something doesn't add up here..."

"Is something wrong, Lady Yukino?"

Yukino jumped slightly at the new voice, dropped the white key. A tanned, calloused hand quickly caught it and placed it back in her palm.

"Orion, what are you doing here? I didn't call you yet!" Yukino squeaked in surprise as she gazed up at the spirit to whom the hand belonged.

"You are a rather delicate master, Miss Yukino. I thought I would come check on you again and make sure you are well. I'm certainly glad I did." Orion replied. Glaring at Sierra, he stated in a voice so low it sounded like a growl, "I do not believe you should be one to criticise my master's treatment of her spirits, Miss Lilica."

Sierra cringed at the way the spirit spat out her name. This spirit must have heard of her family's legacy. Great.

Loke snarled angrily at Orion, his pupils narrowing. "Hey, watch it, kid! You're disrespecting the girlfriend of a Zodiac spirit."

Orion glanced up at the lion and smirked. "Is that supposed to mean something to me?"

The Zodiac clenched his jaw angrily as he began to glow with power. "You wanna go, tough guy?!"

"Gladly. I've been needing a new lion skin rug."

"Orion, no! I order you to stand down!" Yukino cried in alarm.

For a moment, Orion scowled and glanced back at Yukino with a look of disdain. However, in the blink of an eye, his smile returned.

"As you wish, Lady Yukino." he sighed as he gently wrapped his arms around his master and hugged her close. "I was just trying to defend your honor, that's all."

At Orion's touch, a faint blush dusted Yukino's cheeks. "I-I know, Orion, and I am very grateful, but my honor was never in danger in the first place. Sierra was just curious about your old master-"

"So it's my old master that this slavedriver doesn't trust." Orion snarled, glaring daggers at Sierra.

This time it was Hana who got angry.

"It don't know who you think you are or what you've heard, but Sierra is not a slavedriver! Get your facts straight before you go making accusations like that or you're going to get yourself hurt." she snapped.

"I promise you, Orion, I wasn't trying to disrespect your master. There has been a threat made against her life, so I'm trying to ensure her protection, which includes me asking some questions here and there." Sierra stated.

Orion's expression darkened, "How do I know I can trust you? You're a Lilica."

"That's true, but I'm not like my family. I guess you could call me the black sheep of the flock."

"You're not a black sheep. You're the white sheep in a flock of black sheep." Loke stated, flashing his girlfriend a flirtatious wink.

Orion's scowl didn't waver. "Still, I'm going to be watching you very closely."

"Go right ahead. I've got nothing to hide." Sierra said calmly.

"Orion, it's okay. If Lucy trusts her, then so do I." Yukino cooed softly to soothe the restless spirit. "However, I would like you to stick around for awhile and help them protect me. Once you get tired, let me know and I'll call Libra to trade places with you. Is that okay?"

Orion glared at Sierra for a few more seconds then buried his face into the crook of Yukino's neck, causing the girl's blush to brighten.

"I will do whatever is needed to keep you safe.if that means putting up with the Lilica girl and her annoying house cat, then so be it." he murmured.

Throughout the entire discussion, Hana had sensed eyes intently watching her back. 

"Would you two like to ask me something?" she asked, turning to face Rogue and a now sober Sting.

The famous Twin Dragonslayers started slightly and hastily looked everywhere other than the brunette's eyes. Rogue was the first one to speak.

"W-We were just curious as to-"

"You're wondering why you feel odd around me."

The two Dragonslayers froze for a moment then nodded in unison.

"Ever since you showed up, we've been getting these weird urges-" Sting continued only to be cut off by Yukino.

"Sting!!! That's inappropriate!" she shrieked.

"Not those types of urges! We just feel like....ugh, I'm not good with words! Rogue, you explain it!"

Rogue glared at Sting. Sighing, he began to speak, choosing his words carefully.

"Hana, please don't take this the wrong way but we find you rather....peculiar. Neither Sting nor I have ever met you, but yet we feel a close connection to you, almost as if you were a sister. We find aura to be both soothing and unnerving at the same time, and as we have sat in your presence, we have felt convicted to swear our allegiance to you and protect you with our lives while at the same time struggling with the urge to knock you out of your chair and test our strength against your own."

"I honestly wanted to try the latter option but Rogue told me no." Sting complained.

"Will you let me finish?"

"Sorry."

Rogue rolled his eyes in exasperation. "The point is, we've never dealt with conflicting emotions like this before and we are somewhat......alarmed."

"Don't be. It's completely normal. All dragons feel that way when in the presence of another dragon who is of a higher rank." Hana smiled.

"Higher rank? What do you mean?" Rogue frowned.

Sting scowled at the brunette. "Are you just using fancy words to say you're better than us?"

"Not exactly. Let me explain. Amongst dragons, there was a system of social order, and each dragon's rank was determined by his or her strength, wisdom, etc. My dragon, Terran, was at the top rank and considered to be the Dragon Queen, and as her apprentice, I received intensive training to become her successor."

"So you are saying you're better than us!" Sting exclaimed.

"Sting, she isn't saying that." Rogue said calmly, hoping to calm his partner down. Unfortunately, he did not succeed.

"Yes she is! She's calling us weak!" Sting argued.

"No she isn't, Sting!"

"Yes she is, and she is trying to fill our heads with lies to make it all seem logical. Dragon Queen? Social rank? That's complete and utter crap!"

"I don't know, Sting. While I have no memory of hearing about such a system amongst dragons, she seems like a reliable source." Rufus purred, his eyes not leaving Hana's face. The Dragon Queen immediately blushed and looked away while Freed, who was standing next to Natsu and Laxus against the wall, glared daggers at the back of Rufus' head.

"How can you say that? We don't even know her! Watch, I'll prove to you she's a liar." Sting exclaimed and rose up from his chair.

"Sting, I don't know what you plan to do, but it's a bad idea." Rogue said worriedly.

"You're too cautious, Rogue! Nothing bad is going to happen to me, I promise." Sting stated. He turned to Hana with confident smirk on his face. "This 'Dragon Queen' is a fake and I'm going to prove it."

"Sting, I wouldn't." Laxus said, but the light dragonslayer didn't listen.

"Top rank, huh? That means you're supposed to be the strongest right? We'll see about that. Roar of the Light Dragon!"

A few people jumped aside as a blast of light left Sting's mouth and headed straight for Hana. However, the Dragon Queen just opened her mouth and inhaled the projectile in one gulp.

"Hmm, light tastes....light. Guess that shouldn't be surprising." she said thoughtfully.

Sting's jaw dropped. "How did you..."

"Part of my training included a course on rapid adaption to other dragons' elements. You're going to have to do better than that." Hana smirked.

Sting's hands clenched into fists as his lips curved into a pout. "Fine. We'll do this the old fashion way. Fist of the Light Dragon!"

As Sting charged her, Hana merely shook her head. Dropping her voice an octave, she uttered her order in a stern tone.

"SIT!!!"

Immediately, Sting's legs gave out and he faceplanted on the floor. Unfortunately, Natsu and Laxus were forced to comply as well and fell on top of each other with a loud thud.

"Oops, sorry you two. I forgot you two were standing." Hana apologized sheepishly.

Only grumbles rose from the pile of limbs on muscle 

"What the heck was that?" Sting asked after prying his face off of the floorboards.

"Dragon Speech. It ensures the obedience of those of lower rank. I don't normally use it in battle since it is considered unfair play, but I figured it would be the quickest way to convince you that I'm telling the truth."

"T-That's impossible! I don't believe it...." Sting trailed off.

Sliding out of her chair, Hana knelt before Sting and gave him a smile. "I know it's a lot to take in. The system may seem unfair but it was actually designed with the protection of the race in mind. Dragons of a higher rank were tasked with protecting the lower ranks. In turn, the lower ranks would grow stronger and replace the higher ranks as they became weak and feeble with age or disease."

"Was-Was Weisslogia a member of the higher ranks?"

"I don't know. The ranks were always changing, so even Terran had a hard time keeping track of them. However, judging by your magic, I would assume he was." Hana purred comfortingly.

"Still, being beat up by a girl is pretty embarrassing...."

"If it's any consolation, Natsu and Laxus couldn't beat me either."

"How is that supposed to make him feel better?" Orion frowned.

Hana ignored the spirit and helped Sting to his feet. "If you like, I could give you some tips on how to improve while I'm here. It'll have to be after my lessons and homework though."

Sting frowned. "Homework? Lessons?"

"Hana wasn't taught to read or write when she was younger because it took time away from her training to become Dragon Queen. I've been teaching her for the past month and she has improved immensely." Freed said with a proud smile. However, the moment didn't last.

"Why waste her time on something like that? Just have someone transfer the knowledge to her using magic. I would be happy to oblige." Rufus said, winking flirtatiously at Hana.

Freed scowled at the blonde. "I personally see such methods as harmful. Not only is it cheating, but it fails to build character and promote morales."

"Yeah, but that's not your decision to make for her. She should be given a choice." Rufus sneered.

"Boys, there's no need to argue." Yukino said timidly as Freed and Rufus glared at each other.

"You heard her. Break it up, girls." Orion said, his arms still wrapped around Yukino's waist. Sting scowled upon noticing this.

"Dude, could you take your arm off of her and give her some space? You're being kind of clingy." he said.

"I can do no such thing. As Yukino's bodyguard, I must stay close to her at all times."

"Still, you don't have to be THAT close...." Sting grumbled to himself. He hadn't been very fond of Orion ever since Yukino had brought him to the guild. He wasn't entirely sure why though.

As the tension in the air grew, Kiyo glanced from person to person with a worried expression on her face.

"I've got a bad feeling about this..."

((Hey guys! It's Lilah-chan. So Aisul is actually my friend's OC who I decided to include as a thank you for all her help and support so far. She might get a few more cameos throughout the book; I just have to figure out where. Also, for the people who figure out the reference in the Hana vs. Sting scene, you are amazing!))


	7. Chapter 7

That night, Sierra tossed and turned as she struggled to get comfortable. The bed she had been given was extremely soft, but her nerves refused to let her sleep. Paranoia made the steady hum of the air conditioning sound like a dozen hissing snakes and warped the shadows to create the bodies of ghastly beasts.

"Nothing is there." she told herself.

Opening one sleepy eye, the blonde scanned the dark room till her gaze fixed on the two figures looming over Yukino's bed. Pisces, mother and son, stood stiff as stone statues, their keen eyes watching the three celestial wizards as they slumbered. Turning over on her side, Sierra closed her eyes again and tried to focus on more pleasant things. For a good half hour, she laid in the bed, swaddled in the warmth of her comforter, and finally started to relax. However, when she opened her eyes one last time, she was startled to find she was no longer in the guest room at Sabertooth. Instead, she was sprawled out on the floor of a throne room built entirely out of cold, grey stone.

Slowly, Sierra allowed her gaze to sweep over the entire room until they landed on a platform along the far wall. There, an older man with a crown perched on his head sat on a mighty throne. As she peered closely at the crown, the blonde wizardess gasped in horror; it was made completely of key fragments that had been fused together. As she stared at it, she could practically hear the agonizing cries of all the spirits who died to make it.

As she stared at the king, a pair of large wooden door opened off to her right, causing her to jump. Shouts echoed from half a dozen guards as they dragged something bound in chains into the room. The beast attached to the chains gave a mighty roar and swiped at two of the guards, who narrowly dodged the attack. The guards behind the lion immediately stepped forward and plunged their swords into the beast's sides, causing him to howl in pain. Again, the guards struggled to pull the lion forward while the mighty cat used all his strength to claw his way towards the door. Frustrated, one of the guards withdrew a large club and struck one of the lion's front legs with all of his might. There was a sickening crack, and the mighty beast collapsed with a pained yelp, his now broken leg tucked against his body. Now the guards had no problem dragging the mighty cat before the king, who was smiling sinisterly. Reaching behind his throne, he pulled out a metal rod with a symbol attached to one end and dipped it into a bed of hot coals till the metal glowed red. Meanwhile, the guards struggled to pin the lion down as he thrashed about, eying the king warily. In order to keep the beast still, they began to kick and beat him, the majesty wildcat whimpering and groaning with each blow. Slowly, the king rose from his feet, still holding the rod and approached the lion.

"No! Stop it! Don't hurt him any more!" Sierra cried, tears spilling from her eyes. Unable to watch the cruelty any longer, she raced forward, but the scene continued as if no one had heard her. The guards formed a tight circle and closed in on the lion, sheltering him from Sierra's view. Slowly, the king raised the hot branding iron into the air then slammed it down onto the poor beast's skin. The lion roared in agony as the scent of burning flesh wafted through the air.

"NO!!! PLEASE, LEAVE HIM ALONE!!!" Sierra shrieked even louder and began to elbow her way through the wall of guards. However, when she finally broke through, the sight that greeted her turned her blood to ice. In the lion's place lay Leo, his skin dotted with bruises and one of his arms swollen to triple its size. The celestial spirit's clothes were torn and dirty and his shattered glasses laid neck to his head. Glaring up at her from Leo's back was an angry red burn; it was a signature she had seen far too many times to ever forget. Leo had been branded with the mark of The Collector.

As she knelt by her friend's side, a blur of motion and the sparkle of something gold caught the wizardess' eye. Turning, she gasped in horror to see her lover's key in the king's palm. Glancing at the monarch's eyes, she saw deep pits filled to the brim with bloodlust rather than irises and pupils. Getting up, she charged at the man, her heartbeat ringing in her ears, but by then he already had the key grasped between his fingers. As he bent the key, cries of agony rose from Leo, making Sierra's heart wrench.

"NO!!! STOP IT!!! HE'S INNOCENT!!! PLEASE STOP IT!!!"

"SIERRA, WAKE UP!!!"

\-------------------------------

"SIERRA, WAKE UP!!!"

With a loud wail, Sierra jolted upright in bed and was caught by a pair of strong, sturdy arms.

"Shh it's okay, Sierra. It was just a nightmare." Loke purred comfortingly as he rubbed soothing circles on his girlfriend's back.

"Leo..."

Burying her face into Loke's chest, Sierra sobbed as hard as she could, shaking uncontrollably.

"He hurt you, Leo. He branded you like livestock and was trying to break your key!" she hiccuped, gripping tightly to his shirt.

Loke frowned. "Who?"

"The Collector!"

Sierra sensed her boyfriend stiffen as his heart rate excelerated. However, a moment later, he relaxed once more and pulled his girlfriend closer.

"Sierra, he isn't going to get a hold of me, not while you, Lucy, and the others are around." he cooed softly, stroking her hair. "It's okay, princess. I'm right here."

"Leo....can you take off your and jacket and turn around for a second?"

The lion spirit was a little surprised by the bizarre, but he began to remove his suit jacket none the less. Turning around so that his back was to Sierra, he shot Pisces a questioning look. Both mother and son shrugged their shoulders; they were as clueless about Sierra's intentions as he was at the moment.

As Leo's back came into view, Sierra gently reached out and touched the back of his shirt.

"I know now what happened was just a dream, but I still need to feel it to believe it."

Slowly, the blonde ran her fingers down Loke's spine, waiting for her fingers to hit the nonexistent brand market her grandfather had given him in her dream. However, much to her relief, the skin beneath the white button-down was smooth to the touch. Relief flooded the girl's system, allowing her to finally relax. Resting her head against her boyfriend's back, she wrapped her arms around his waist then placed a gentle kiss between his shoulder blades.

Leo smiled down at the woman hugging him. "Are you feeling better now, sweetheart?"

Sierra nodded.

"Good. Now you need to go back to sleep and I need to get out of here before Hana finds me." Loke said as he turned to face her once more. 

Sierra smiled and laid back on her pillow as the lion tucked her in once more.

"Goodnight, my dove." he cooed, placing a kiss on her forehead. However, as he pulled away, he stopped, his eyes locking onto Sierra's lips. Slowly, he began to lean down, but just before their lips touched, someone grabbed the back of the spirit's shirt and dragged him towards the door.

"I thought I made it clear that you were not to be anywhere near Sierra's sleeping quarters." Hana growled.

Loke flashed the dragonslayer a weak smile. "I couldn't help myself. My girlfriend needed me."

"And now you're going to need a doctor."

The lion spirit paled and shot Pisces a pleading look. The mother and son duo shared a glanced then hastily shook their heads.

"Help me!" he whimpered as he was pulled into the hallway, the door swinging shut behind him.

As she was wrapped in the darkness of night once more, Sierra nuzzled herself deeper into her mattress. As she did, her hand brushed against Loke's suit jacket, which he had accidentally left behind. Grabbing it, she brought to to her chest and hugged it tightly, the spirit's cologne tickling her nose. Slowly, she closed her eyes, and within moments, she was fast asleep.

\---------------------

"Uh, Kiyo? What are you doing?" Bickslow asked the next morning as he stared at the younger girl hanging upside down off the edge of a table.

"I'm bored." she grumbled in reply.

"Well, why don't you get up and find something to do?"

"It won't be any fun."

"Why?"

"Because no one else will be doing it with me."

"Then ask someone to join you."

"Everyone's busy. Hana won't take her nose out of her dang book, Freed is busy writing up her quizzes, Evergreen is still sleeping, Laxus went off to spar with some guy named Orga, and the others are doing Mavis knows what."

"Well, why don't you try socializing with some of the Sabertooth members?"

Kiyo cast an uneasy glance towards the bar, where two members of the guild were flirting with Aisul. However, in a swift blur, Rogue suddenly appeared and grabbed both of them by their shirt collars, glaring daggers at them.

"I don't know. They just seem so-"

"Devilishly handsome and strong?"

Kiyo jumped at the sound of Sting's voice, losing her balance and tumbling off the side of the table with a squeal of surprise. After hitting the ground, she sat up and scowled at the Sabertooth guild master who had been standing behind her.

"Oops. Sorry." he smirked, not sounding even slightly sincere. "Now what were you saying about us Sabertooth members?" 

"I was saying you all are rather unpredictable." Kiyo grumbled as she got up and dusted herself off.

"A member of Fairy Tail is calling us unpredictable?"

"You disagree?"

"Not in the slightest." Sting laughed. The sound was so merry and warm that Kiyo couldn't keep scowling at him and slowly began to smile.

"Why did you creep up behind me? That wasn't very nice."

"I was just coming to check on you since you looked a little down. I wasn't trying to scare ya."

"Well, you did."

"My deepest apologies. Would a tour of the town by yours truly be enough to make it up to you?" Sting smiled, holding out his hand for the younger mage to take.

Kiyo's smile evolved into a broad grin as she gingerly accepted Sting's outstretched hand. "It might be..."

Bickslow chuckled as he watched the two exit the guild through the huge double doors. Suddenly, a flash of green caught the corner off his eye, causing his grin to change into a mischievous smirk.

"Hey Freed, have you seen Rufus anywhere?" he called casually to his friend as he hurried by. 

Freed stopped, a deep frown forming on his face as he thought for a moment. "No, I have not. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason. I just thought you would be keeping tabs on him to make sure he doesn't get too close to Hana." 

"So that's what this is really about." Freed rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Why would I do that?" he asked flatly as he set the papers in his arms down on the bar counter.

"Dude, I saw how you were glaring at Rufus yesterday when he was flirting with her. If looks could kill and Rufus was a cat, you would've murdered him nine times with your scowl."

"You're being dramatic."

"Am I? Were you upset because of Rufus' flirting?"

Freed sighed in annoyance and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I was annoyed but not for the reason you're implying. He was being extremely pushy, which was rather ungentlemanly. I thought he would have better manners but he is as bad of a flirt as Loke was."

"Hey! I heard that!" The lion spirit snapped from the other end of the bar counter where he had been eating a late breakfast.

"So you're not mad that Rufus was flirting with your lady?" Bickslow asked.

Freed turned and glared indignantly. "Bickslow, I am only going to say this one more time so you had better pay attention and get what I say through your thick skull. Hana is not my lady! We are just good friends and nothing more."

Bickslow stared at Freed for a moment then started chuckling.

"Keep telling yourself that, Freed. You're not fooling me." he grinned.

Noticing Hana had entered the main lobby of the guild, Freed shot his teammate a glare. "Whatever. Just keep your theories to yourself this time."

As he watched the green-haired mage hurry after the brunette, Bickslow smirked and whispered to his little wooden dolls floating around his head, "Freed's totally crushing, isn't he, babies?"

"He likes her! He likes her!" they chorused in reply.

Chuckling to himself, Bickslow sat down at the bar and signaled for one of the barmaids, failing to notice the long pink feather disappearing around a corner.

Meanwhile, Hana glanced over her shoulder when she heard the sound of running feet behind her and smiled when she saw Freed.

"I was wondering where you had wandered off to. Are you ready for your lesson? I've got something different planned for today." he said once he had caught up to her, his eyes sparkling.

Hana felt her heartbeat accelerate and hastily nodded so Freed wouldn't see her reddening cheeks. "He looks so cute when he's excited. My heart rate won't slow down."

As the two sat at a table, Freed withdrew a single page from the stack of papers he had been carrying and placed it along with a pencil in front of his student.

Hana tilted her head in confusion as she read the title on the page, her lips curving into a frown. "Pop quiz? What's a pop quiz, Freed?"

"A pop quiz is a surprise quiz a teacher will randomly give without notice to see how much the students are truly learning as well as make sure they are actually doing their work." Freed answered.

Hana immediately scowled at him. "So you're saying you don't trust me?"

Freed chuckled merrily. "Of course not. I just want to make sure you're learning and see if I need to adjust my teaching style to accommodate to you."

"Oh." Hana felt herself beginning to blush again. "What the heck?! Again?! Why?!"

"If you honestly don't feel ready, I can postpone the quiz till tomorrow-"

"No! I can do it!"

Freed smiled proudly at Hana's determination. "Alright, start whenever you're ready."

Snatching up a pencil, the Dragon Queen hastily scribbled her name down at the head of the page and read through the questions.

"These are so easy! The answer is....wait, why can't I remember?"

As if a switch had been flipped in her brain, Hana's mind grew cloudy.

"I-I know this! I remember reading all of this last night. Why can't I recall the answer though?!"

"Hana, is something the matter?" Freed asked when he noticed his pupil's deep scowl.

"No, I'm fine." she lied. Gripping the pencil tighter in her hand, she began to circle answers at random. Once she was done, she slid the paper over to Freed. "How did I do?"

As he read over the page, the green-haired mage's face fell. "You got a twenty percent...."

"Is that good?"

"No, Hana. That's a failing grade."

"A failing grade?"

Hana felt a lump forming in her throat as her heart stopped. As she gazed at Freed's disappointed face, she felt an immense pain spreading from her chest throughout her chest.

Noticing his student's long face, Freed immediately flashed her a comforting smile. "Well, this doesn't really mean that much. This is your first time taking a pop quiz anyways, and you maybe you're just not a good test taker. Numerous factors could have contributed to this grade, so don't worry about it. All it means is I have to adjust my teaching style."

Hana nodded distracted, too embarrassed and ashamed to speak. At the moment, all she wanted to do was disappear in thin air. Worried, Freed tried to grab her hand, but she immediately flinched away and turned her back to him.

"Hana...don't beat yourself up over this. Everyone has a bad test or two when they're learning. It doesn't change the fact that you are a very smart and gifted woman. Please promise me that you won't take this personally?" he softly cooed to her.

Knowing he wouldn't let her go if she said no, the Dragon Queen forced herself to smile and blinked away the tears swimming in her eyes.

"I promise." she purred softly, hoping she sounded convincing.

Fooled by her mask, Freed smiled and stood up. "Good. Read the next chapter in your book tonight while I figure out how to help you retain the information better."

"Alright."

An awkward silence fell between the two as they stood staring blankly at each other. Freed's heart thundered loudly in his chest as an idea struck him. After glancing around to make sure no one was watching, he made a decision and opened his mouth. 

"Uh, it's almost noon. Would you....Would you perhaps like to grab a bite to eat with me? I've heard there's a really nice restaurant on the edge of town right by a beautiful lake...."

Hana stared at him with wide eyes. Did he just ask her out?

"Of course he's not asking you out! Why would he? Do you think he finds you attractive? You just embarrassed yourself in front of him and let him down. Why would he be interested in you?" a voice at the back of her head whispered.

"I..I can't. Erza has some things she needed me to do. I'm sorry." the dragonslayer lied before hurrying off.

Freed felt his heart wrench painfully as he watched her hurry off. "She...She rejected me.....Fool, of course she did! Did you really expect her to say yes? Besides, you have other duties to attend to."

Snatching up his papers, Freed paused for a moment and glanced over his shoulder to see Hana disappearing down a hallway and sighed.

"Even though she rejected me, I still can't help but love her."

Meanwhile, the Dragon Queen charged down the hall without stopping or looking back, ignoring the odd or worried looks she receives from others as she passed. Once she made it to the room she shared with Erza, she shut the door sand allowed the tears she had been holding back to spill down her cheeks. Sliding to the floor, she pulled her knees to her chest and sobbed.

"I'm so ashamed. What happened to me back there? I completely froze up and embarrassed myself in front of Freed. He was disappointed in me...I can't let that happen again. I can't let him down ever again. I never again want to see that look in his eyes. I'll do anything to make sure he never sees me in such a pathetic position after today-"

Suddenly, a knock sounded on her door.

"Miss Hana, is everything alright?"

"Rufus? Rufus!" Hana leaped to her feet as an idea struck and hastily threw open her door. Grabbing Rufus by the arm, she quickly pulled him into her room. For a moment, the blonde mage looked surprised, but he quickly regained his composure and flashed her a flirty smile.

"Wow, Hana. I didn't think you felt so strongly about me but I happily accept your feelings." he purred, staring at her seductively.

Hana blushed and immediately looked away. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I pulled you in here because I need your help with something."

"Oh?"

"I completely bombed my pop quiz with Freed and I'm not sure why. I knew all the answers, but the minute I looked at the page, my mind went blank. Do you have any ideas why that would happen? You're good at remembering things, so I thought you might be able to help me."

Rufus frowned and held his chin between his thumb and forefinger. "Well such a an occurrence is not unusual when relying on something as fallible as the human brain. I personally prefer to use a far more foolproof method."

"And what is that?"

"My Memory-Make magic. As long as I see something once, my magic allows me to remember it perfectly." he answered her. Grabbing the book Freed had given her, he briefly skimmed through the pages then closed it again. "There, I just memorized the entire first chapter of your book."

"T-That's incredible." Hana exclaimed.

"I can share the memories too. If you like, I could memorize the chapters and then transfer the memories to you." 

Hana's smile faltered. "Wouldn't that be cheating though?"

"Certainly not! Would you call it cheating when you use your magic to protect yourself in battle?"

"No..."

"What is the difference? You are merely using the resources you possess to complete your goal. Is being resourceful truly a crime?"

"I guess not...Okay, let's do it."

Rufus smiled slyly and reopened the book. After skimming through the second chapter, he closed it again and set it aside. Cupping Hana's face in his hands, he pulled her close and whispered huskily, "The transfer works better when physical contact is involved so I hope you don't mind me doing this."

"Doing wha-" Before Hana could finish, she was cut of by Rufus' warm lips pressing against her own. Her eyes widened in surprise as the rest of her body froze, unable to process what was happening. Feelings of horror and excitement swirled inside of her in a cloud of chaos, but just as she was about to push the male away, a sensation like an electric shock surged through her body. Thousands of words flashed across her mind in an instant as Rufus' memories were transferred into her, causing her to gasp. Rufus took her surprise as an opportunity to deepen the kiss and pressed his own lips further against hers, causing her to squeal some more. Chuckling to himself, he pulled away and gazed up at Hana, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

"You definitely are an inexperienced kisser, but that'll hopefully change as we continue to work together." he purred as he let go of her. Flashing her a flirty wink, he left the room, leaving her to sort out her thoughts. As he walked, he smiled to himself.

"Messing with the girl's memories may have been a bit invasive, but I had to make sure she came to me. Before long, that little dragon will be completely wrapped around my finger and will forget Freed the Dark even exists. Foolish fairy. He should've snatched her up when he had the chance."

Meanwhile in her room, Hana slowly unfroze and brought her fingers to her lips.

"What did I just do?it felt so right yet.....it also felt so wrong."

((Okay, I just wanted to make this clear: I do NOT hate Rufus. He and Rogue are actually my favorite members of Sabertooth, and I chose him to mess with Freena (Freed x Hana) because I thought he and Freed were extremely similar as far as appearance and demeanor as well as I wanted his inclusion in the story to have significance. So to all you Rufus fans out there, I am not trying to slam your favorite character so don't freak out. That is all.))


	8. Chapter 8

"Yukino-San, where are you going?"

Yukino immediately froze, her fingers only centimeters away from the handle of the hall's back door. Turning around, she found Frosch staring up at her with innocent curiosity and smiled weakly at him.

"I'm going on a job, Frosch, just like I always do." she answered, forcing the nervousness from her voice.

"All by yourself?"

"Well, I'm not really by myself. I have my keys, see?" Yukino cooed, holding up her key ring for the little Exceed to see.

For a moment, Frosch only stared at the golden keys as they glistened in the natural light seeping in through the windows. A few beads of sweat slithered down the side of Yukino's face as she silently waited to see if the green cat wearing a pink frog onesie would buy her story.

"Yukino is a big girl; Fro trusts her. Good luck, Yukino-san." Frosch finally purred before turning and wandering back down the hall.

Yukino sighed in relief and, after quickly checking her surroundings to make sure no one else was around, quickly slipped out the back door.

"Going somewhere?"

Yukino jumped a clear foot into the air and spun around to see Skylar standing a few feet away from the door, her arms folded across her chest. Taking a deep breath, the wizardess forced herself to remain composed despite her racing heartbeat.

"You're supposed to have a bodyguard or two with you at all times. Where are they?" the cat continued, eying Yukino suspiciously.

"They're right here. I sent Pisces back to the spirit world to get some rest, but my other spirits are ready to be called at a moment's notice." Yukino said, presenting her keys to Skylar like she had done to Frosch. However, the Exceed just scowled at her.

"Do I look stupid to you? You and I both know that your keys don't count. You need someone physically with you in order to leave as well as Sting's permission. Now turn around and walk back inside." she barked.

Taken aback by the Exceed's harsh tone, Yukino instinctively reached for the door but stopped as her fingertips brushed against the handle.

"No."

Skylar raised an eyebrow. "No?"

"Death threat or not, I'm still a wizard and a grown woman, and as such I decide where I will or will not go or what I will do. I'm not letting some pompous celestial mage keep me from living my life and earning my keep at Sabertooth. Now, I would appreciate it if you stepped aside so I can continue on my way. I can't keep the client waiting."

Skylar's eyes narrowed. "You know I can't do that."

Yukino sighed and took hold of one of her keys. "I guess we do this the hard way then. Gate of the Scales, I open thee! Libra!"

In the blink of an eye, the beautiful spirit appeared, her eyes fixed on Skylar.

The Exceed sighed as she shifted into her battle form and spread her large wings. With a growl, she lunged forward, heading straight for Yukino.

"Libra! Bring her down now!" Yukino exclaimed.

"Yes, Yukino. Gravity Change!"

Immediately, Skylar fell to the ground like a lead weight. Grunting, she tried to raise herself onto her paws and knees but found the task to be impossible.

Scanning the area, Yukino's eyes landed on a shed that was hidden in the shadow of the guild hall. "Libra! Put her in there and put something against the door so she can't get out!"

Libra did not hesitate. Reducing Skylar's gravity enough to make her float, she kicked the Exceed into the little shack and slammed the doors shut. Uprooting a nearby tree, she set it right against the shed's doors and sank the roots back into the earth, trapping Skylar.

"Let me out of here!" the winged cat screamed.

"I'm really sorry about this!" Yukino called to the feline through the doors.

"Yukino, you need to hurry and leave before someone else catches you." Libra stated firmly.

"Oh, right. Thank you! Close, Gate of the Scales!" Yukino exclaimed before hurrying down the road, leaving the poor Exceed to sit in the darkness of the shed until someone happened to find her.

\--------------------

"Lucy, are you sure he actually....ya know, searching?" Sierra asked as sh eyed a sleeping Crux doubtfully.

"He is, I promise!" Lucy answered as she continued to scanned the large, brown, leather-bound book in her lap. After another minute, she closed it and handed it back to the other wizard. "I'm still not finding anything. Hand me that little blue book, will you? The one on the top shelf?"

Sighing, Sierra tucked the old book under her arm and climbed up the ladder attached to the bookcase on her right. Placing the brown book on its appropriate shelf, she stood on her tippy toes to grab the designated blue novel when the ladder began to tremble beneath her.

"Leo, stop that! Do you want me to fall?!" she shrieked, glaring down at the celestial spirit standing beneath her.

Loke flashed his girlfriend a cocky smile. "Of course not. I was just testing the ladder to make sure it was stable. But if you fell, I would've caught you."

"Uh huh, sure. Do me a favor and give this to Lucy." Sierra stated as she dropped the book, purposely aiming for the flirty male's head.

Loke immediately threw his hands over his face with a yelp and caught the incoming projectile. "Hey, watch it! Are you trying to destroy my best feature?!"

"Of course not." Sierra smirked.

Rolling his eyes, the lion spirit handed Lucy the book while Sierra started climbing off of the ladder.

"I'm going to go check the next aisle. I'll check with the others as well and see if they've found anything." she said once her feet touched the floor.

"Alright. Hopefully they are having better luck locating your grandfather than we are at finding these spells." Lucy muttered as she turned a page in the new book and read through it.

Slipping towards the front of the library, Sierra found Prince, Apollo, Capricorn, and Artemis all neck deep in boxes of old magazines, newspapers, and booklets. Judging by the Nemean Lion's sour expression, she guessed they were having about as much luck as herself, Loke, and Lucy.

"You guys not having any luck?" she asked as she approached them.

"Absolutely none!" Prince huffed, hurling down the newspaper in his hands and crossing his arms over his chest like a pouting child.

"Prince, don't throw that! You'll damage it!" Sierra said as she knelt down and picked up the discarded paper.

"Forgive him, Miss Sierra-sama. He is rather frustrated. The most recent article we could find on your grandfather was from around almost a decade ago, far too old to be of any use. Perhaps yourself, Lucy, Loke, and Crux have had better luck?" Capricorn stated as he set down the magazine he had been reading.

Sierra sighed and shook her head. "We were hoping you were having better luck than us. We can't find any tracking spells that don't require an item belonging to the person we want to find or any spells that might be able to kill a major spirit along with a counteracting spell."

"Well, the latter is probably a good thing." Artemis muttered as she grabbed a box from one of the many stack and placed it in her lap.

"I know, but I can't help worrying that we'll miss something big and play for it later. Are you sure you don't know any special tracking spells, Artemis?"

"Unfortunately, I do not. There are limits to even my power. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. It's not your fault." Sierra smiled, patting her friend's shoulder. Glancing around at the group, she noticed how tired they all looked.

"Hmm, I think we all need to take a little break. Why don't I go pick us up some coffee and scones from that little cafe we passed on our way over here?"

Apollo smiled tiredly. "That sounds great..."

"Okay. Please let Lucy and Leo know where I've gone so they don't panic. I'll be back soon." Sierra said before heading to the library entrance and slipping outside. The buzz of the dozens of people roaming the streets greeted her as the mid afternoon sun warmed her pale skin. Joining the throng of people on the sidewalks, she made her way towards the small local coffee shop a few blocks away from the library, but just as she was about to go inside, she stopped, her eyes locking with a girl in the crowd.

"Yukino?"

Yukino stood frozen as well, holding the request flyer tightly to her chest. For a moment, the two girls just stared at each other, and then Yukino spun on her heels and ran. Sierra immediately took off after her, chasing her through the crowd and calling out to her.

"Yukino! Hey, wait! Stop!"

Ignoring the blonde, Yukino made a sharp turn into a busy shopping center and started pushing past people.

"Excuse me! Pardon me! Sorry sir-I mean ma'am."

"Yukino! Wait!"

People watched in surprise and shock as the two wizardesses chased each other. Murmurs immediately began to rise.

"Isn't that Yukino from Sabertooth?" 

"I think I've seen that blonde girl before. Isn't she a member of Fairy Tail?"

"I think you're right. What's she doing here and why is she after Yukino?"

"I have no clue, but she looks frightened. Should we help her?"

"Are you crazy?! Of course not! We might get killed!"

"Right, good point."

Growing desperate, Yukino snatched up her only white key and held it out. "Gate of the Huntsman, I open thee! Orion!"

Orion appeared almost instantly, his cold eyes fixed on Sierra. Slowly, he reached into his quiver.

"Orion, don't hurt her! Just slow her down!" Yukino ordered, as she continued to run.

Rolling his eyes, Orion returned the arrow in his hand to his quiver and instead pulled out a club. "As you wish."

Undeterred, Sierra charged the spirit while brandishing one of her own keys. "Gate of Wisdom, I open thee! Athena!"

As Athena materialized beside her master, her eyes narrowed in disgust. "Orion, what an unpleasant surprise."

Orion sneered at the goddess. "Athena, long time no see. Don't tell me you're still upset about our little tussle 300 years ago?"

"Of course not. Why would I be? You only attempted to insult my honor as goddess and humiliate my poor master and I." the goddess answered sarcastically. "And as if that wasn't enough, you nearly destroyed my kinship with Artemis."

"It was just a little kiss."

"BASTARD!!!" Drawing her sword, Athena angrily swiped at Orion, who narrowly dodged.

"Huh, I guess there really is nothing deadlier than a woman scorned." Orion stated cheekily.

Athena's nostrils flared. "Master, you go on ahead. I'll deal with this insufferable male."

Orion sneered at her. "Bring it, ya priss."

With loud battle cries, the two spirits lunged at each other, sword striking club and fist striking flesh.

Sierra stopped running and glanced at the crowd watching the fight. "Athena, there's too many here! Take Orion some place away from here!"

The goddess nodded before grabbing Orion's arm and forcing him back into the celestial spirit realm. Scanning the crowd, Sierra caught a glimpse of Yukino disappearing into a narrow alley and sprinted after her.

"Yukino, wait!"

Yukino's own heavy panting drowned out the sound of Sierra's shouts. As she ran, she failed to notice that the belt that held her keyring was coming loose. When she stumbled over a stone in her path, it fell off and landed in the dirt with a soft clink. Stopping, she turned around to grab it but stopped when she saw Sierra standing only a few feet away.

"Man....you're really fast...." the blonde wheezed, her body hunched over as she struggled to catch her breath. Noticing Yukino's belt laying on the floor, she picked it up.

Yukino back away till she ran into a wall. "You're not making me go back."

Sierra's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What?"

"You're not making me go back to Sabertooth."

"What the heck are you talking about?"

"Didn't Sting send you to find me and take me back to the guild hall? Isn't that why you were waiting for me at the coffee shop where I go every day to get a latte before work?"

"Uh, no. I was going there to get coffee for Lucy, myself, and our spirits so I could bring it back to them at the library. We've been doing research all day so decided they needed something to help me stay awake. Also, you're a coffee person? I don't see it."

Yukino sighed in relief as her tense body relaxed. Suddenly, she and Sierra were blinded by a bright light as a symphony of shouts, grunts, and curses greeted their ears. When their eyes adjusted, they found Athena and Orion tussling on the ground like two young children, hurling punches and insults as they kicked up the dust around them.

"Perverse male!"

"Cocky wench!"

"Half-blind bastard!"

"Filthy witch!"

"Orion, stop! Leave her alone! They aren't here to hurt me!" Yukino exclaimed.

Orion froze, his brows furrowing in confusion, and Athena took his distraction as an opportunity and punched his firmly in the jaw. The hunter fell back on his rear, massaging the point of impact and allowing the goddess to leap to her feet. She immediately pinned him to the ground, her hands shaking with rage.

"Really? I'm not convinced." he grumbled. 

"Athena, stand down." Sierra ordered.

The goddess didn't move.

"Athena..."

Slowly, Athena let go of the huntsman and straightened to her full height. Taking a few deep breaths, she managed to regain her composure but the raging fire burning in her eyes did not fade away. Sierra frowned worriedly at her friend.

"I have other duties to attend to. Call me if this pig tries anything." the goddess stated flatly.

"Oh, alright." Sierra could tell the goddess was lying, but judging by the dark aura radiating off of her, she decided her friend needed to return home.

Before disappearing, Athena established a mental link with her master.

"Be careful around this spirit. He is a snake of the slyest sorts. Do not trust him and do not leave Yukino alone with him." she warned.

"Orion, are you alright?" Yukino asked gently as she helped her spirit to his feet.

"Ya, it's going to talk more than some wimpy goddess to keep me down." Orion answered, flashing his master a smile.

Sierra's eyes narrowed but before she could say anything, Yukino interfered.

"Orion, don't say that! It's rude!" she scolded him.

The spirit rolled his eyes. "Sorry."

With a sigh, Yukino glanced at her watch. "We need to get going if we want to get this job done."

"I don't think that's a good idea, Yukino." Sierra immediately interjected.

Yukino frowned, confused. "Why not?"

"You thought I was sent after you by Sting, right? That means you snuck out without telling him where you were going and without your bodyguards. Although your guild master is rather dense, he'll figure out that you're gone eventually and then he'll actually send someone after you."

Yukino immediately paled as she realized the blonde was right. Meanwhile, Orion's expression darkened.

"Fortunately, I have an idea that will help you avoid getting in trouble Sting without sending you back to the guild." Sierra continued.

"What is it?" Orion asked warily.

"She stays with me. Lucy and I have been scouring the local library with our spirits since this morning and we could use another pair of hands."

Yukino frowned. "But my job-"

"-will be done right after. Plus with my and Lucy's help, we should get it done in a third of the amount of time it would take you to complete the request yourself. It's a win-win."

"I don't know..." Orion began but Yukino cut him off.

"That sounds perfect. Thank you." Yukino said, flashing a Yukino a grateful smile.

Orion scowled. "But master, the reward-"

"-is all yours. Lucy and I don't need it." Sierra stated.

"I couldn't expect you to do that! We'll split the reward three ways." Yukino insisted.

Seeing that arguing wouldn't get her anywhere, Sierra sighed in surrender. "Fine. We need to get back to the library soon or Leo will start to worry, as well as I still need to get everyone the treats I promised."

"I know a shortcut back to the cafe. Follow me." Yukino smiled and headed out of the alley with her spirit and Sierra in tow.

As she followed behind her follow celestial wizard, Sierra's eyes wandered to Orion as he walked beside her, Athena's words ringing in her ears.

"Do not trust him."


	9. Chapter 9

"Laxus, have you seen Skylar anywhere?"

Laxus, who had been reclining at the bar with the Raijinshuu, frowned at Hana. "No, I haven't. She isn't with you?"

"I haven't seen her since this morning. It's getting late now and I'm starting to worry." The Dragon Queen answered, her lips curving down into a frown.

Seeing the troubled look on his crush's face, Freed thought carefully through his day, struggling to remember when he say the cat last.

"I know I saw her today, but where-"

"I have memory of seeing your Exceed talking with Sting about something this morning." Rufus said with a smug smile as he approached the group.

At the sound of Rufus' voice, Hana's face turned scarlet as she was reminded of the kiss they had shared earlier. Meanwhile, Freed bit back a growl as the mage in a masquerade mask sauntered over and wrapped an arm around the brunette's waist. However, his jaw dropped when Rufus leaned in and placed an affectionate kiss on Hana's cheek. The eyes of the other members of the Raijinshuu widened as well.

"I recall that Lector was with them as well; perhaps he knows her location. Would you like me to ask him?" the blonde cooed.

Too embarrassed to speak, the dragonslayer nodded. Smirking, Rufus turned slightly and called out to the little red Exceed as he walked past. "Lector, do you know where Skylar is?"

At the mention of the female's name, Lector began to blush and fidget nervously. "S-Sting asked her to guard the guild's back door to make sure no one got in and Yukino didn't get out."

"Is she still out there?"

"I-I think so. She was supposed to come get me when she wanted to switch off with someone, but she hasn't yet."

"Hmm, interesting. Thank you, Lector." 

"I'm going to go check on her."

"Please, allow me to do it for you."

Hana frowned at the blonde. "Rufus, I can do things on my own. I'm a grown woman, you know."

"Yes, but it is getting late and it'll be cold outside. As a gentleman, I cannot allow a lady to go out into the cold, especially at night by herself. Please allow me to fetch your companion for you."

"Rufus-" Before Hana could finish arguing, Rufus silenced her with a passionate peck on the lips. Freed's heart stopped then shattered into millions of little pieces.

"You stay here. Once I get back, I'll help you study some more." Rufus purred after breaking the kiss. Tucking a loose strand of hair behind the girl's ear, he flashed Hana a dazzling smile before heading down a hallway leading to the back of the guild and leaving her alone with the Raijinshuu.

"Well he's annoying..." Evergreen grumbled.

"Hana, what did Rufus mean by helping you study?" Freed asked, his eyes narrowing.

A pink dusting covered Hana's cheeks once more and she looked away. "U-Uh, Rufus found out that I failed my quiz earlier and offered to help me study so I don't fail again."

"And you said yes?"

"Yeah, why?"

Freed sighed and rose to his feet. "No reason. If you'll excuse me, I have to work on the lesson plan I'm designing for you to help you remember and comprehend your book better."

Before anyone could stop him, the green-haired mage hurried towards the guest quarters. As soon as he was in his room, he allowed the tears he had been holding back to fall as he slammed his fist against the wall.

"That sneaky bastard! The minute I turn my back, that snake strikes. Now he has the perfect excuse to be spending time with MY Hana and-" he stopped for a moment. "Did I just say that? What's going on with me? Why am I speaking about her as if she is my property? What is this burning hatred and possessiveness flowing through me? Am I...Am I jealous of Rufus?"

For a moment, Freed entertained the thought, and as it lingered in his mind, he came to a conclusion.

"Yes, I am jealous of Rufus. I am jealous that he is spending time with Hana. I am jealous that he embraces her and she doesn't flinch away. But most of all, I am jealous that he is tainting her virgin lips before I have had a chance to taste them myself!!!"

Violent tremors shook Freed's body as his anger swirled around inside of him. Taking several deep breaths, he forced himself to calm down.

"I can't lose my head. If I do, I lose any remaining chance I have with Hana. Rufus doesn't have her wrapped around his finger just yet, so I just have to woo her before he does. But first, I need to stop them from spending time alone together."

Straightening his posture, Freed opened the door and headed back into the guild hall's main lobby. Scanning the crowd, he found Hana sitting in between Laxus and Bickslow, looking a little sad. However, as he approached, he noticed her perk up a little and force a smile onto her face.

"That was awfully fast."

"I didn't have much left to do. Um, Hana, could I speak with you for a moment in private?" Freed asked, emphasizing the word 'private' while shooting glared at his teammates.

Hana's eyes widened in surprise. Freed wanted to have a private talk with her? Just the two of them? Alone? The very thought caused her to blush.

"Uh...s-sure." she answered, rising from her seat and allowing Freed to guild her towards an empty hallway.

"Hana, how upset were you about your grade earlier?" he asked softly.

Hana's face immediately became somber. "Not that much. It happens, right?"

"Hana, don't lie to me? How upset were you?"

For a moment, the dragonslayer didn't answer.

"Hana, as your teacher, it is my job to make sure you succeed. If you're struggling with something, I want you to come to me so I can help you, okay?"

"O-Okay." the dragonslayer answered, somewhat surprised and confused. "Anything else?"

"Tell her you like her! This is the perfect opportunity! Sweep her off her feet here and now before Rufus steals her away." Freed's heart urged him.

"Uh, yes actually. I...I just want you to know that...that you are extremely intelligent and not to worry about that quiz grade. The last few days have been crazy so they probably just threw you off a little, that's all. I still believe in you."

"Idiot, that's not what you were supposed to say!"

"T-Thank you." Hana replied sheepishly, her gaze shifting to her shoes. However, the minute she looked back up, her eyes locked with Freed's and the two of them stood staring at each other, stuck in a trance.

"She's so close." Freed realized, his face becoming flushed. "Her lips are within my reach. Should...Should I make a move?"

Hana frowned when she noticed Freed's red cheeks. "Hey, you okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yes I'm fine. It's just a little hot in here, that's all." he stammered in reply.

A small smirk appeared on Hana's face. "Well that's because you're wearing that heavy jacket of yours indoors, silly. Just take it off and you'll cool down."

Freed's blush deepened, but he slowly began to remove his jacket, revealing his white undershirt. Hana blushed as well when she realized how sheer the male's top actually was; she could practically see right through it.

"On second thought, put it back on. We'll just go outside and you can cool off there." she stated, forcing her eyes not to wander from Freed's face.

"Very well." he answered and all too eagerly threw his coat back on. In all honesty, he felt rather naked and exposed without the jacket on, and being in front of Hana made him even more embarrassed.

Heading out the guild's front doors, the two slipped out into the night sat down on a nearby boulder. After a few moments, Freed noticed Hana starting to shiver, so he removed his arms from the jacket's sleeves and draped the garment over both of them, taking the dragonslayer by surprise.

"Thanks." she said before cuddling closer to him to stay warm. 

"You're welcome."

For a while, the two sat in silence, their breath turning into fog in the cold air. As Freed's warmth spread throughout her body, Hana felt her eyelids grow heavy and start to notice. Against her will, she began to yawn.

"Tired?" Freed chuckled.

"A little. It has been a long day." she mumbled in reply.

"You can go inside and rest if you wish."

"No, I can't sleep until I know Skylar is okay. Speaking of which, what's taking Rufus so long? He should've found her and been back by now."

Freed scowled at the mention of the flirty mage.

"He probably got distracted by looking at himself in a mirror." he grumbled under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!" 

"HANA!!!"

Both Hana and Freed jumped. Whirling around, they saw Skylar soaring towards them at top speed with Rufus in tow. The winged feline barreled straight into her partner's lap and buried her face into the girl's shirt, trembling.

"Skylar, what's wrong?!" Hana exclaimed, her eyes filled with worry.

"It's was so dark, Hana...So very, very dark...." Skylar whimpered in reply.

"What? Skylar, where were you?!"

"I found her stuck in a shed with a tree in front of the door. Apparently Yukino locked her in there and escaped to go out on a job." Rufus explained as soon as he caught up. His expression darkened when noticed how close Freed and Hana were sitting. "What are you two doing?"

"Just getting a little fresh air, that's all. Is that a crime?" Freed replied smugly as Rufus glared at him.

Completely oblivious to the tension between the boys, Hana pulled her Exceed close. "Are you hurt? Why are you shaking?"

"I-I have a b-bad memory involving being stuck someplace d-dark with no way t-to escape. I-I'll be fine though." Skylar whimpered.

"Are you sure?"

"P-Positive. Now we need to stop w-wasting time and alert S-Sting that Yukino's gone."

"Alright." Hana stated, rising to her feet and hurrying back towards the hall. When she reached the door, she glanced back at the two boys who were still by the boulder. "Come on, you two. Hurry up! We'll need all hands on deck if we're going to find Yukino!"

Freed and Rufus said nothing as they continued to glare at each other. The Dragon Queen tapped her foot impatiently.

"Don't make me come over there, you two!" she barked.

Slowly, Freed rose to his feet and he and Rufus shuffled after her.

"I bet I'll be able to find Yukino before you can." Rufus whispered.

"You're on."

\------------------

"Yukino, you were amazing! I mean, Lucy said you were a gifted wizard, but you did phenomenally when taking down that bird mutant!" Sierra praised as she, Lucy, and Yukino walked along the road with their bodyguards trailing close behind.

Yukino blushed bright red. "You're too kind. It's disappointed we didn't find anything helpful to you at the library though."

"Ah, don't worry about it. Some good did come from it; as far as we know, there aren't any spells capable of killing a Zodiac spirit." Sierra smiled.

"I-I guess that's tru-Lucy, look out!"

Everyone jumped as a silhouette literally stepped out of the shadows near Lucy. As the person face became clear though, everyone relaxed.

"Rogue! Don't do that! You scared us!" Lucy exclaimed.

Completely ignoring the blonde, Rogue strode over and grabbed Yukino's arm.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" the flustered wizardess cried.

"Making sure you don't run off again. You three have caused a lot of trouble." Rogue said irritably. Turning, he cupped one hand around his mouth to amplify his voice and shouted, "I've found them!"

Immediately, dozens of people seemed to materialize out of nowhere, al, of them racing towards the three wizardesses.

"SIERRA, LUCY, YOU GUYS ARE OKAY!!!" Kiyo cried as she ran up to hug the two, tears spilling down her cheeks.

"Um....what's going on?" Lucy asked, confused.

"We thought you three had been abducted by The Collector, that's what!" Hana snapped angrily as she broke away from the crowd. Jabbing at Yukino's chest with her finger, she growled in a low voice, "You and I are having a talk later regarding what you've done to my cat! Thanks to you, she's stuck in bed back at the guild and she won't stop trembling!"

"Hey, back off! She wasn't trying to hurt your stupid cat, alright?! She just wanted to go on a job like every other wizard! Is that truly so bad?" Orion snapped as he roughly shoved the dragonslayer away.

"You stay out of this!" Hana barked before turning to Sierra and Lucy. "And you two, I expected better from you. Do you have any idea how worried we were when we didn't find you at the library or anywhere else in town?! We thought The Collector's thugs had gotten hold of you and dragged you off!!! What the heck were you thinking?!"

Sierra took a step back, surprised by her comrade's harsh tone. "Hana, I-"

"EVERYONE STOP!!!" Apollo shouted, causing everyone to look at him. "We need to take a deep breath and calm down because yelling and screaming won't solve anything-"

"YUKINO!!!"

Yukino flinched as Sting barreled towards her. However, as he stopped in front of her, his face softened and he pulled her into a hug.

"We were so worried. We couldn't find you anywhere. Are you okay?" he asked in a voice barely above a whisper.

Yukino was surprised by Sting's gentle tone.

"I-I think so. I got a couple scratches during the mission but nothing deep."

"Good." Suddenly, Sting pulled back, his expression hard again. "Yukino, what the heck were you thinking?! Do you have any idea how much panic you caused by running off like that?!"

Yukino scowled at Sting, a sight which no one had seen before. 

"I don't appreciate you yelling at me, Sting." she muttered curtly.

"I don't care! Your life is in danger, Yukino; we assigned guards to the doors for a reason! If you wanted to go on a job that badly, you should've just asked!"

"Yes, and you would've said no and insisted I stay in the guild!"

"You don't know that, and even if I did decline your request, it would be because I'm trying to keep you safe!"

"Keeping me safe and keeping me hostage are two different things, Sting!"

"Oh, stop with the dramatics, Yukino! We're not holding you hostage!"

"Well I certainly feel like one! I can't go anywhere or do anything without being watched like hawk. I can't go outside. I can't work. I know you want to protect me, Sting, but this is getting excessive!"

"Well excuse me for wanting to protect you!"

"Ugh, you are such a jerk!"

"And you're a brat!"

The crowd stood in stunned silence as Sting and Yukino glared angrily at each other.

"I've never seen Yukino this upset." Lucy thought to herself. "Sting is being kind of unfair. She still needs to make a living after all."

Apparently, Sierra was thinking the same thing because she stepped between Yukino and Sting so she was looking him in the eye.

"Sting, try and look at this from Yukino's perspective-" she began to say but was quickly cut off.

"You shut up! I have a few words to say to you too!" Sting snapped, his glare shifting to the blonde. "I knew I could expect some mischief from Lucy but I expected you to be the voice of reason in this group and keep them from doing something. Do you want your boyfriend to get abducted and abused?! Is that what you want?!"

"Hey, don't talk to her like that! She was just trying to help!" Loke snarled, stepping forward and pulling his beloved protectively behind him.

"Yeah, and she has done a great job at that! She made the level of panic to triple in under an hour when we couldn't find her or Lucy, and furthermore she didn't return Yukino to the guild hall when she found out she had escaped." Sting retorted. Sighing in exasperation, he looked pointedly at the three celestial wizards. "Since we obviously can't trust you three to comply to the restrictions we've put in place, I need you all to hand over your keys. You three are now confined to the guild hall at all times and I will be selecting your bodyguards for you from this point on. I also will be increasing security throughout the guild hall."

Yukino and Lucy gasped in horror while Sierra instinctively clutched her necklace and held it close, and deep, guttural growls rose from Loke and Prince, their cat ears resting flat against their heads.

Rogue sighed and shook his head as he watched the scene unfold. While they were all somewhat upset about what had happened, Sting had once again taken things too far.

"Guess I need to talk some sense into him. Again. Why did Aisul have to leave at a time when I need her powers most?"

"Sting, while I agree that having the girls remain at the guild is a wise course of action, taking their keys is going too far." he said.

"Then what am I supposed to do, Rogue?! I can't let them keep their keys otherwise they'll just break out again."

"We just need to trust them."

"Trust them?! Rogue, are you even listening to yourself?"

"Are you listening to yourself? You're starting to sound like Jiemma!"

A hush fell over a crowd at the mention of the former Sabertooth guildmaster. Sting's eyes immediately fell on Lector, who was standing between Kiyo and Frosch, and his expression softened ever so slightly.

"Fine, they can keep their darn keys, but I'm doubling their bodyguards to make sure they behave. Rogue, you, myself, Orga, and Rufus will guard Yukino-"

"You can't do that!" Hana protested.

Sting frowned at her. "Um, I kinda can actually. I'm the guild master."

"I mean you shouldn't do that!"

"Why not?"

"Because you're all men and she's a woman!"

"So?"

"Sting, you're so dense." Rogue grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I am not!" Sting protested.

Hana rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Since you obviously are too thick-headed to understand why having one girl and four men alone together is a bad idea, I'll pick the groups."

"But-"

"Sting, shut up!" Hana growled, her voice dropping an octave. Bound by her Dragon Speech, the light dragonslayer clamped his mouth shut.

"Myself, Evergreen, Freed, and Laxus will watch over Sierra. Wendy, Erza, Natsu, and Bickslow, you guys are in charge of watching Lucy. Sting, you, Rogue, Evergreen, Gray, and Kiyo will guard Yukino. Any objections?"

No one spoke. Sting could only muster muffled shouts since his lips refused to move, but a quick blow to the gut from Rogue silenced him.

"Good. Now everyone get back to the guild. Sting will assign shifts for guarding the hall and then those who are not on duty can head home for the night."

No arguments rose. As the group began to drift down the road, Hana felt a hand grab her shoulder and turned around to find Sting glaring at her.

"Can I help you?"

The dragonslayer pointed to his mouth.

"You may speak."

Sting's lips immediately broke apart, and he massaged his jaw with his hands.

"Never do that again." he snapped.

"Don't talk overtop of me." Hana replied simply. "Now, you have a lot to do, so you better hurry back to the guild. I have a celestial wizard to guard."

Sting, completely dumbfounded, allowed his jaw to drop. By the time he thought of a comeback, the Dragon Queen had vanished into the crowd of wizards.

"But I wanted to be in a group with Natsu..." he grumbled, his lips twisting into a childish pout.


	10. Chapter 10

The next morning, Hana was reclining with Evergreen and Sierra at a table when a single paper was laid in front of her by Freed. She immediately picked it up and frowned as she stared at it.

"What's this? It's not another pop quiz, is it?" she asked.

Freed chuckled. "No, it's a worksheet."

"What's the difference?"

"Well, for starters, you're allowed to use your book for help. Second, you can get help for your teacher. Third, worksheets help you learn while tests estimate what you've learned."

"Oh." Hana glanced back at the page once more and bit her lip. Freed immediately noticed the uneasiness in her eyes.

"Do you want me to help you?" he asked softly.

Hana glanced at him and, after a brief pause, nodded. Smiling, Freed slid into the seat beside her and peered at the paper from over her shoulder.

"Alright, lets look at the first question: Why is even King Galbatorix wary of the Spine?"

Thanks to Rufus' memory transfer, Hana immediately knew the answer. However, just as she was about to open her mouth, she stopped.

"It'll seem rather suspicious if I instantly know the answer after failing yesterday's test. I have to be careful."

"....Because something bad happened there?" she said sheepishly.

"Be a little more specific, Hana."

"I...I know something happened to his soldiers, but I can't remember what." the dragonslayer lied.

"Well, why don't we look back in the book?" Freed suggested with a smile as he picked up said novel from where it sat on the counter and opened it. "I organized these questions in chronological order so you should find the answer towards the beginning of the second chapter."

Even though she already knew exactly where the answer was, Hana took a moment to scan the page then pointed to the passage. "Because once half of his army disappeared after entering the Spine!"

"Correct. Now write that down in a complete sentence. Do you remember your basic grammar lessons from a few weeks ago?"

Hana nodded and, after borrowing a pen from her teacher, hastily jotted down the answer. Freed smiled as he watched her, his chest swelling with pride.

"Her grammar is quite good for learning it only a little while ago. Within no time she'll be able to read and write as well as everyone else. I hope she is as proud of herself as I am."

Sensing someone was staring at her, Hana looked up at Freed and couldn't help but blush under his gaze. "Uh...did I do something wrong?"

Embarrassed by being caught staring, Freed's cheeks turned red as well and he hastily stuttered out, "N-No, you did nothing wrong. I was just thinking about how much you've improved in such a short while. It takes a lot of people years to do what you've already done in a little more than a month. You should take pride in that fact."

Hana smiled sheepishly and looked away from Freed's eyes as her heart started to race. "Dang it, every time he compliments me, I feel like I'm going to explode. I want him to stop....but at the same time, I kind of don't want him to either."

Smiling, Freed turned a few more pages. "Alright, let's move on to the next question..."

Instead of paying attention as Freed read the question aloud, Hana zoned out and stared up at him instead.

"He compliments me on how much I've improved, but I wouldn't be able to do any of this without him. Even though he originally only did so to help Laxus, it he had never started teaching me, I-"

"Hana, are you listening? Is something wrong?" Freed asked, waving his hand in front of her vacant eyes.

Blinking, the dragonslayer shook her head to break free from her trance. "Sorry, I was lost in thought. Please repeat the question."

Freed chuckled and repeated himself once more. "Question two: Why does Sloan break his deal with Eragon to take the mysterious 'stone' as partial payment for some meat?"

"Easy. He didn't want the stone because it came from the Spine." the Dragon Queen answered before she could stop herself. "Crap, I answered too fast! Now he'll be suspicious!"

However, Freed just smiled, completely oblivious to her worries. "That's correct."

"Phew! He didn't notice." Hana thought to herself as she jotted down the answer.

For the next few minutes, this process repeated: Freed would read the question and Hana would answer at varying speeds to ensure Freed didn't become suspicious. However, as they worked, the dragonslayers would occasionally sneak a glance at her teacher as he read, taking in his smile and kind face. However, she couldn't ignore the pit of guilt sitting like a rock in her stomach. She wasn't getting these answers right because of anything she had done; she was getting these answers because of what Rufus had done.

"He's so sweet, smart, and kind. He shouldn't be wasting his gifts on me." she thought to herself.

"Freed, am I inconveniencing you?" she asked when they were almost done with the worksheet.

Freed frowned in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Is it an inconvenient for you to be taking time out of your day everyday to teach me?"

"Of course not! Why would you think something silly like that?"

"No reason." 

Freed smiled softly and grabbed Hana's hand to get her attention. "Hana, you're not an inconvenience. Although your lessons may have started out as a bribe, I want to see you succeed not only as your teacher but as your friend. I want you to be confident in yourself and be happy with who you are, and if knowing how to read and write will boost your confidence, then I'm going to make sure you're able to read and write. We're comrades, Hana; what's important to you is important to me."

Hana stared up at Freed with her mouth hanging slightly agape, and after realizing what he had said, Freed began to brush bright crimson. Hana's cheeks flushed also as her crush's words echoed in her ears.

"What's important to you is important to me."

"Freed, thank you. If not for you, I would still be illiterate and I wouldn't have an Exceed either. Despite our rough start, you have been nothing but kind to me. I -I wish I could repay you."

"Then be my girlfriend, then my bride, and finally my wife for all time." Freed's heart stated, but the mage didn't repeat it.

"You don't need to repay me, Hana. That's what friends are for." he said instead, much to his heart's dismay.

Hana smiled up at him weakly.

"Right. Friends. We're just friends, nothing more and nothing less. Just friends...but I wish we were more." she sighed internally.

As an awkward silence fell between the two, Freed glanced at the worksheet and hurriedly cleared his throat. "We uh...We should get back to work."

"R-Right. Sorry for sidetracking."

"You don't need to apologize. You did nothing wrong. Now, let's look at question eight..."

As Freed continued reading, Hana half-heartedly followed along, but her mind was far from the lesson now.

"Friends. I would be satisfied having most people call me a friend, but coming from Freed, it makes my heart ache. He is so selfless and kind, and he makes sure I only see the good in myself. I...I don't want to be just friends with him. I want us to become more. I can't stand being only friends for another minute. I....I want to confess to him; I...I just don't know how..."

As she allowed her eyes to wander, Hana's gaze fell on Evergreen.

"Hmm... Evergreen has been on a team with Freed for years, and I'm sure she has had experience when it comes to dating. Maybe I'll ask her."

"Hana, are you okay?" Freed asked, breaking her focus.

"Huh?" Hana blinked in surprise and looked up at him.

"You were staring off into space and didn't respond to me for several minutes. If you're tired, we can take a break. Also, don't be afraid to use the book rather than wrack your brain for the answer; I don't want you straining yourself."

"O-Okay. A break sounds nice. C-Can I go get some air? It's really stuffy in here."

"Of course."

Evergreen's eyes narrowed in suspicion as she watched the Dragon Queen rush out of the guild.

"Freed, I'm going to get some air as well; guard Sierra for me." she stated before following after the dragonslayer. When she found her outside, she cleared her throat to get her comrade's attention.

"Mind telling me why you're acting so weird?" she asked.

Hana didn't answer right away, her eyes fixed on the horizon.

"Evergreen...how do you tell a guy you like him?"

Evergreen immediately froze, her eyes widening in shock. "What?"

Hana sheepishly wrung her hands and looked down at her feet as she repeated her question. "How do you confess to a guy that you like him?"

Evergreen stared at Hana for a moment then slowly started to smile.

"Well, it's about time! I was starting to wonder if one of you would ever make a move! Come, come child, and I shall share my vast wisdom of the affairs of love with you." she exclaimed, ushering the Dragon Queen over to a nearby park bench and sitting down beside her. "Now, you want to confess in a way that has meaning but you don't want to overwhelm the poor guy and scare him off. For starters, you need to be in a good setting.I would suggest going out for a nice dinner and telling him then."

"That sounds like a great idea but..."

"But what?"

"I'm not exactly dressed for a nice dinner and I don't have anything else nice to wear." Hana blushed, glancing down at her casual yellow tank top, jade skirt, and meek sandals.

Evergreen chuckled. "I have a dress and some shoes you can borrow."

"Okay, but how do I actually confess to him without, you know, choking?"

Evergreen grew silent for a moment, tapping her fan against her chin as she thought. As an idea came to her, her eyes started to sparkle.

"I've got it! Write your feelings down in a letter and give it to him when you two go out to eat. Not only will it prevent you from stuttering when you confess, but it'll also make the confession even more heartfelt because Freed was the one who taught you how to read and write."

Hana's lips twisted into a smile. "That's perfect! Thank you so much."

"There's no need to thank me. Now go inside and ask Freed out to dinner."

"Yes ma'am."

Rising to her feet, Hana hurried towards the doors to the guild. However, as she was grabbing the handles, she froze.

"Wait, I'm asking him out?!"

The Dragon Queen's cheeks immediately flushed bright pink and she backed away from the door.

"What's wrong?" Evergreen frowned.

"Ever, if I'm asking him to dinner then I'm technically asking him out!"

"So? You like him, don't you?"

"Yes, but-"

"But what?"

"I-I'm nervous. What if he says no?"

"The infamous Dragon Queen can stand up to vengeful celestial spirits, countless monsters, and fierce dragons, but she doesn't have the guts to ask a guy out on a date because she's afraid he'll say no? Of course. Totally makes sense." Evergreen grumbled sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Pushing past the dragonslayer, she yanked open the doors and walked inside the hall. "Guess that means I have to ask him for you."

"You're the best, Ever. Try not to make it too obvious that I like him though; I want to tell him that myself."

"Whatever. You are seriously over-complicating this." 

As Hana trailed behind her, Evergreen approached Freed, radiating with her signature aura of superiority. Sensing his friend towering over him, the green-haired mage looked up and raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Can I help you?"

Evergreen began casually fanning herself as she spoke. "Yes, actually. You see, Hana has been wanting to try one of the new restaurants over by the waterfront.-"

"Okay..."

"-However, she does not wish to go alone because she is concerned the spirits that are after Yukino will come after her instead and use her as a hostage to get the two Zodiac keys from Sabertooth. I was going to go with her myself, but I have other duties to attend to later. Bickslow and Laxus are too busy to take her as well, so I was hoping-"

"-that I would take her in your place." Freed finished his teammate's thought.

"Exactly."

Hana couldn't help smiling internally. "Evergreen, you're brilliant!"

Freed held his chin thoughtfully. "I don't believe I have anything going on later tonight. 

"So you'll take her?"

"Sure, why not?"

Hana's heart raced with excitement as a flock of butterflies danced in her stomach. "Evergreen, I owe you big time. Thank you for this."

"Alright, you pick her up at six o'clock sharp, understand? Also, wear something nice. I'll handle making you two a reservation." Evergreen ordered. Turning to Hana, she whispered in a firm tone, "I want you back at our room by four o'clock so I can help you get ready. We're going to knock Freed off his feet."

Hana giggled. "Got it. Thank you so much. I promise I'll pay you back."

Evergreen wanted to say some smart remark in return, but as she stared into her friend's sparkling eyes, she could only flash her a sweet, heartfelt smile.

"Don't worry about it. No payment needed. You're my friend." she cooed. However, after realizing how sappy she was being, she quickly resumed her usual cold demeanor and shooed the Dragon Queen away from her. "Now, get back to work and stop bothering me. I have reservations to make and you have a lesson to finish. It's rude to keep people waiting, especially when their help is voluntary. Get back to it!"

Hana chuckled as she watched Evergreen hurry off before sliding into her seat beside Freed. As she glanced up at him, she noticed the slightest rosy blush dusting his cheeks. However, when Freed realized she was looking at him, he quickly turned away, his heartbeat echoing in his ears.

"Crap, she saw. If I don't calm down, I'll start shaking next, or even stuttering. I have to get myself under control. I'm just taking her out to dinner like before. It's not a date....is it?"

"Freed, are you okay?" Hana asked softly, tapping her friend's shoulder to get his attention.

Taking a deep breath and clearing his thrust, Freed turned back around and flashed her his best reassuring smile. "I'm fine. Lets finish your lesson."

\------------------------------

When she heard a knock on the door, Evergreen glanced at the clock on the wall and raised an eyebrow.

"He's ten minutes early; I'm impressed."

However, as she opened the door, the wizardess' smile faded when she realized Freed wasn't the one at the door.

"Hello, Evergreen. You look as lovely as I remember."

"What do you want, Rufus?"

Rufus flashed her a dazzling smile. "I'm looking for Hana so we can have our next tutoring session. Is she here?"

"Yes, but she's busy. You'll have to reschedule." Evergreen scowled. 

"Oh. Can I talk to her in a little bit?" 

"She's busy the rest of the night, Rufus. You'll have to wait until tomorrow. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to finish helping her get ready."

"Get ready for what-"

"Goodnight Rufus." Evergreen stated flatly before shutting the door in Rufus' face. "Ugh, I don't know why but that guy really irritates me."

"Evergreen, is everything alright?"

Evergreen groaned and turned to answer her friend. However, as her eyes landed on Hana, she froze.

"Hana...you look stunning!"

A blush crept onto Hana's face as she sheepishly fingered one of the many loose curls in her hair. "Thank you."

Grabbing a simple gold necklace and a golden handbag, Evergreen hurried to her friend's side and gave them to her. "Forgot knocking Freed off his feet. You're going to knock him out."

A giggle escaped the Dragon Queen's lips as the necklace was secured around her neck. Suddenly, another knock sounded on the door.

"That must be him. Have fun." Evergreen smiled and quickly opened the door.

Freed was wearing a simple yet elegant black tux with a red undershirt, his long hair tied back in a low ponytail to keep it out of the way. As Hana came into view, his jaw dropped as he drank in her appearance. The wine-colored dress with a knee-length skirt complimented her hourglass and vibrant green eyes while the gold jewelry adorning her arms and neck gave her a very regal look. Thankfully, Evergreen had the girl in flats rather than heels so she wouldn't tower over her somewhat short escort.

"Hana, you look amazing." Freed gasped, completely awestruck.

Once again, Hana blushed at the compliment. "T-Thank you. Shall we be going? Evergreen set our reservation for six thirty and the restaurant is a little far."

"U-Uh, yes. That sounds good." Freed stuttered, mentally slapping himself as he did so. "Crap, I'm losing my composure again!"

Smiling, Hana took Freed's hand in her own and headed down the hallway with him in tow, failing to notice the dark aura lingering in the air as a shadow disappeared just around the corner.

\-----------------

"Oh my gosh, she didn't!" Hana exclaimed, stifling a laugh.

"She did, and Jellal broke down right in the middle of the arena." Freed chuckled, taking a sip of his wine. He had been telling Hana about the Grand Magic Games for the last hour since she was on the run while they happened and didn't get to see them.

"I don't know who I sympathize for more: Jellal or Meredy." the dragonslayer said as she nervously tapped her fingers against her handbag. Slowly, she rose from her chair. "Um, will you excuse me for a moment?"

Freed immediately frowned, his eyes full of concern. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong! I just need to, um...powder my toes!" Hana stared after wracking her brain to remember the words Evergreen had told her were women's code for use the restroom.

Another chuckle escaped Freed's lips. "You mean powder your nose?"

Hana cursed softly, her cheeks turning bright red. "Y-Yeah, that."

"Alright, but don't be long. I'm having fun spending time with you." Freed purred, smiling.

Flustered, Hana spun on her heels and hastily hurried into the single stall bathroom. Closing the door, she sighed and pulled her confession letter out of her bag. As she stared down at it, her hands began to shake and she felt herself walking towards the trash can.

"No!" she ordered herself, stopping in her tracks. "I did not rewrite this letter five times to ensure it was perfect only to get nervous and throw it away. I am going to confess to him and nothing is going to stop me."

Taking a deep breath, Hana opened the bathroom door and nearly jumped out of her skin when she found someone waiting on the other side.

"Rufus, what are you doing here?!"

Rufus said nothing, staring at Hana so intensely she swore he could see her soul. His gaze had a dark, icy feel to it that caused to the Dragon Queen to squirm uncomfortably.

"Is something wrong?"

Again, Rufus didn't reply. However, in a blur of movement, he suddenly grabbed Hana's arm and yanked her out of the bathroom before pinning her against one of the hallway walls. Before the dragonslayer knew what was happening, he slammed his lips against hers in a rough, forceful kiss, holding her firmly in place so she couldn't escape. Appalled, Hana struggled to get free, but as she beat her fists against Rufus' chest, she found her memories of how to fight slowly slipping away, replaced by a familiar foggy haze.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Rufus broke the kiss and glared at Hana. "I offer you my services to help you study and this is how you repay me? By going out with another man?"

"That fog...That fog was the same fog that clouded my mind when I took my first test! I knew the answers and you took them from me! You're the reason I failed!" Hana realized, growing angrier by the second. As her memories returned, she took a deep breath and prepared to send Rufus through the wall. "Roar of the-"

However, Rufus only smiled cruelly at her and kissed her forehead. Immediately, all Hana's battle training vanished from her mind.

"Ah ah ah, we'll be having none of that. If you don't behave, I'll have to steal more of them. Hmm, what should I take next: your reading lessons or your memories of Freed and Fairy Tail altogether?"

"Bastard! You wouldn't dare!" Hana growled.

"Oh, I would. I'd do it without a second thought." 

"What do you want, Rufus?"

"I want you. From the moment I laid eyes on you, I've wanted you and had to have you."

"So you stole my memories so you could magically 'cure' me and save the day so I would fall for you?"

"Yes, but seeing as that didn't work, I came up with another plan." Rufus sneered. Leaning close to Hana's ear, he whispered in a husky tone. "If you want your memories back and don't want me erasing all of them permanently, you will surrender yourself to me and become my dear beloved. Understand?"

"You jerk! How dare you threaten me like that. I swear, the minute I get back to the guild, I'm telling Sting and you're-"

"You can't tell Sting if you don't remember who he is or what you were going to tell him. You don't get it, Hana. If I want, I can erased everything you are. I can erase memories of your magic, your friends, your dragon, even your name. I can make you a completely blank slate and recreate you any way I choose. If you don't want that, you will do as I say."

Tears flooded Hana's eyes as the reality of the situation set in. "You're a monster."

"Only when I want something." Rufus replied. Noticing the paper in Hana's hand, he ripped into from her grasp and read through it, smirking in amusement as he did so.

"Memory Make: Iron Fist of the Fire Dragon." he muttered, and his hand immediately burst into flames, reducing the letter to ashes. Hana gasped in horror, and hastily sucked up the flames but by then it was too late. The letter was gone.

"Don't look so sad, my darling. I promise to treat you like royalty." Rufus cooed as he ran a hand through her hair. "Tell Freed you're not feeling well and head back to the guild hall. I'll meet you there and we can have our next tutoring session, alright?"

"Y-Yes sir." Hana whimpered, hanging her head like a defeated soldier.

Rufus raised an eyebrow. "Do not call me sir. Say 'Yes, my love.'"

Hana said nothing, causing Rufus to scowl.

"Say it!" he barked.

"Yes, my love." Hana repeated, nearly gagging as she did so.

"Good girl. I'll see you in a bit, my flower." Rufus cooed, placing a kiss on his new girlfriend's cheek before sinking into the shadows and disappearing.

Tears immediately started to spill down Hana's face as she fell to her knees and scooped up the pile of ashes that had once been her confession. Suddenly, a large shadow appeared over her.

"Hana, what's wrong?" Freed cried, kneeling beside her, his eyes full of worry.

"F-Freed, I don't feel too good. I-I want to go back to the guild." Hana whimpered.

"Alright. I'll pay for the drinks and we can go. Do you need some help getting up?"

Hana nodded and leaned against Freed for support as she shakily rose to her feet. As they walked towards the front of the restaurant, Hana could practically feel her heart breaking further with every step.

"I was so close..."

((I know, I know, I suck. Don't kill me.))


	11. Chapter 11

Evergreen stared inquisitively at Hana as the dragonslayer glumly poked at her food. With a sigh, she set down her cup of tea and turned to her friend, her arms crossed.

"Okay, you've been sulking all morning so obviously last night didn't go well. What happened?" she asked.

Instead of responding, Hana just continued to stab at the plate in front of her before finally shoving it away. Evergreen's face softened as her eyes filled with concern. 

"Hana?"

"I don't want to talk about it, Evergreen." the Dragon Queen finally mumbled as she laid her head on her arms and closed her eyes. When a familiar scent suddenly greeted her nose, she groaned internally and did her best to pretend she was sleeping.

"Mm, I'm starving. What's for breakfast-hey, what's wrong with Hana?" Bickslow asked as he came and joined the two ladies at their table.

"I don't know; she won't tell me a thing." Evergreen stated flatly.

"Hmm..." Bickslow gripped his chin as he thought for a moment. When an idea popped into his head, his eyes lit up. "I know! Freed can probably get her to talk! FREED!!!"

"Bickslow, you idiot! He's probably the reason she's upset." Evergreen scowled, but before she could protest, the group was joined by the green-haired mage. Immediately, Freed's eyes fell on Hana, and a frown graced his lips.

"Hana, what's the matter?" he asked softly as he slid into the seat on the other side of her.

Upon hearing Freed's voice, Hana felt her heart wrench painfully in her chest and struggled not to stutter as she answered him.

"It's nothing. I'm still not feeling good, that's all."

With growing concern, Freed reached up to feel Hana's forehead with his hand, but she immediately flinched away, much to his, Evergreen's, and Bickslow's confusion.

"I don't know where I got this virus from and I don't know if it's contagious so you would be better off not touching me to be safe." the Dragon Queen lied.

Freed frowned. "Hana, if you truly feel that sick. You should go and rest."

"N-No. I'm okay. Let's just start our lesson and-"

"Hana, you're not having a lesson today, not with you being this sick. Go back to your room and get some sleep."

Gazing at Freed's unwavering stern face, Hana sighed in surrender and trudged toward her room. However, along the way she bumped into Laxus, and the lightning dragonslayer immediately noticed the Dragon Queen's bloodshot eyes and quivering bottom lip.

"Hana, what's the matter?" he asked worriedly.

"Nothing! I'm completely fine!"

"Obviously you're not. Come on, tell me what's wrong."

"I said I'm fine, alright!"

"Is she on her lady days or something?" Bickslow whispered to Evergreen.

"Shut up, you dense idiot!" she snapped in reply.

Scowling, Laxus grabbed Hana's arm before she could run away, earning a glare from the she-dragon. By now, dozens of eyes were watching them as the Dragon Queen struggled to get free.

"Laxus, let go of me!" she screeched.

"Not until you tell me what's wrong!"

"I don't feel good!"

"You're lying!"

"LAXUS DREYAR, LET GO OF ME THIS INSTANT!!!" 

Unable to resist her Dragon Speech, Laxus released Hana's wrist, and the dragoness immediately ran the rest of the way to her room. After slamming the door shut, she leaned against the cool wood and slid to the floor, bringing her knees to her chest and burying her face in her arms. She desperately wanted to cry but the chance that someone might hear her kept her lips sealed. So, she merely sat there for awhile, sulking in the dark room, till a knock sounded on the door. Getting up, the Dragon Queen opened the door, an action she immediately regretted when she realized who was standing on the other side. 

"Hello, my darling. Might I come in?" Rufus purred, holding out a red rose and flashing a dazzling smile at the dragonslayer.

Knowing she couldn't refuse without risking angering the romantic mage, Hana sighed and stepped aside as Rufus strode into the room.

"We need to talk about a rather urgent matter. Could you please close the door?" he cooed, an icy undertone in his voice.

As much as she didn't want to, the Dragon Queen shut the door behind her, leaving her alone with Rufus in the shadowy room. Immediately, the male's suave smile disappeared, replaced by a scowl.

"My dear, we must discuss your acting skills; they are quite distressing. I know I told you to pretend you were ill, but your glum behavior is attracting quite a bit of unwanted attention and suspicion. I need you to stop pretending to be sick and start acting more cheerful." he stated flatly.

"I'm not acting, Rufus. I actually do feel sick to my stomach." Hana replied, avoiding his gaze.

Rufus' eyes narrowed, and he angrily grabbed Hana's wrist and pulled her towards his chest. "Then fake that you are well! Even if you don't tell them directly, if someone figures out what is going on because of your behavior, I will erase your memories completely! Am I understood?"

Hana wearily nodded, and Rufus let go of her, leaving a small bruise on her arm.

"Oh dear, it would seem I've been a tad too rough and marred your delicate skin. Allow me to fix that."

Tracing his finger over Hana's arm, Rufus whispered an incantation to himself and watched as the bruise disappeared before his very eyes.

"Much better. Now, can I have a kiss, darling of mine?" he purred, leaning in close to Hana's face. Before she could answer, he pressed his lips to hers in a passionate manner, his eyes fluttering closed.

As his mouth met hers, Hana felt her stomach churn nauseously and bit back a gag. Any other girl would be too spellbound by Rufus' fancy flirtatious words and suave swagger to complain about his rough kisses. As his teeth nicked her bottom lip, a sharp yelp escaped her throat only to be muffled by the other mage's lips. Hana visibly cringed as Rufus' tongue forced her mouth open and slipped inside, but when the dragonslayer tried to pull away, he grabbed her hips and held her in place. As her lungs burned for air, Hana beat her fists against Rufus' chest, but the male refused to let go. Just as she was starting to feel lightheaded, the sound of footsteps greeted her ears and the door swung open.

Freed's jaw dropped when he saw Hana and Rufus entangled in what appeared to be a passionate kiss. Noticing the shocked mage, Rufus smirked and broke apart his and dragonslayer's lips. The Dragon Queen eagerly gulped down large breaths of air, panting heavily as her head spun. Once the world finally came back into focus, her eyes landed on Freed, and her heart stopped.

"F-Freed, this isn't what it looks like!" she exclaimed desperately, but the male wasn't listening.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt." he stuttered, his eyes shifting to the floor.

"It's fine. No harm done. Do you need something?" Rufus smiled, snaking an arm around Hana's waist.

"N-No. I was just coming to check on Hana, but it appears she is feeling much better."

"Oh, how very kind of you. Thank you for showing so much concern about my darling's health. I'm very grateful." Rufus sneered, pulling Hana close.

"I-It's no problem. P-Please excuse me." Freed replied, spinning on his heels and racing back down the hallway from which he had come.

"Freed, wait!" Hana cried, but when she tried to run after him, Rufus held her back.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked.

"Rufus, let go of me! I have to stop Freed and explain-"

"And what will you tell him? That we're not a couple? Not only would that be a lie but also a violation of our agreement. Unless you want me to erase your memories completely, you are mine."

"But..." Hana wanted to fight. She wanted to run out the door, find Freed, and explain to him what he had seen. She wanted to scream from the rooftop of the guild that she didn't like Rufus and loved him instead, but if she so much as took a step, everything that made her Hana would be erased.

"Freed..." Tears filled Hana's eyes, and she buried her face into Rufus' coat. With a satisfied smile, the mage began to comfortingly stroke his girlfriend's hair.

"Don't fret, darling. He was going to find out sooner or later. He'll get over it eventually." he whispered.

Hana raised her head and blinked at Rufus in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"You haven't figured it out already? Freed likes you as well."

"H-He does?"

"Aye, but he is too late. He took too long to woo you, and as a result he lost his chance. Now you belong to me. However, he'll find another girl eventually." 

"Freed likes me? Oh my gosh, what have I done? If I had just given him that letter instead of hesitating, I wouldn't be in this situation! Ugh, stupid, stupid, stupid!"

Noticing his lady's distress, Rufus placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "It is already done, my dear, so there is no use worrying about it. I'll treat you far better than he ever could. Unlike he, I've had experience with the ladies and know what makes the hearts of women melt. I will make you happy."

Hana glared indignantly up at Rufus. "I hate you."

"I know, but you'll eventually see past my manipulative methods and fall for me."

"I'll die before I let that day come."

\------------------------------

Hearing a loud, angry slam, Laxus, Evergreen, Kiyo, and Bickslow looked up to see Freed leaning against the door of the boys' shared room, shaking uncontrollably. Immediately, all of his friends leaped to their feet and circled their companion, their eyes full of concern.

"Freed, what's the matter?" Laxus asked.

"She...She was kissing him. She was kissing that...that flirt!" Freed blubbered.

Bickslow frowned in confusion "Who?"

"Hana! I went to check on her after she exploded at Laxus and found her kissing Rufus in a dark room."

"What?! That's impossible! Are you sure it was Hana?" Kiyo exclaimed.

"Yeah, are you sure, Freed? Rufus doesn't seem like her type." Bickslow stated. 

"Not her type! Not her type!" his dolls repeated.

"It was her; there's no doubt about it. She called out to me. I heard her voice." Freed stated. By now, tears were beginning to spill down his cheeks.

Evergreen frowned. 

"But that doesn't make sense..." she mumbled to herself. "Freed, you are certain you didn't see the kiss out of context? Maybe Rufus snuck up on Hana and stole it-"

"If she didn't want Rufus kissing her, she could've shoved him off. She's strong enough." Freed stated bluntly.

Everyone immediately grew quiet as the reality of the situation set in. Rising to his feet, Freed stumbled towards the bathroom, but as he started to shut the door behind him, Laxus grabbed his shoulder.

"Freed, there has to be something else going on here. I know Hana and this isn't like her. I'll go talk to her and we can sort this out-"

"Don't bother. She has made her choice."

"But Freed, you don't understand-"

"I understand perfectly. I waited too long to tell her how I felt and as a result, I lost my chance. Rufus stole her away from me. No, stole isn't the right word. Stole means she belonged to me at some point, but she never did. Rufus saw an opportunity and took it, and I was too blind to see him coming."

"Freed, you don't understand. I know Hana doesn't love Rufus-"

"Then why isn't she here, Laxus?! If she didn't want me thinking that she and Rufus are in love, she would've come after me, but she isn't here, now is she?!"

Laxus was struck mute by his friend's angry outburst. With a sigh of regret, Freed turned his back to his comrade and shut the bathroom door.

"I know he is just trying to help, but he is honestly just making things worse. The harder they fight to deny the truth, the more my heart yearns to join them in obliviousness. However, there is no denying what I saw, and refusing to accept that truth now will only worsen the pain in my heart. However, it doesn't take the pain away either, or the sense of betrayal I feel. She was supposed to be mine, not his... What am I saying?! I speak of Hana as if she is an object, a piece of property that can be bought, sold, or owned. She is so much more than that. She is a living being, a free spirit. She is not a prize to be won; she is the woman I love. She chose Rufus over me...that bastard. I can't forgive him for this!"

Trembling, Freed slammed his fist into the mirror, shattering it. He barely felt the stinging in his knuckles as the broken glass cut into his fingers nor the wetness of the warm blood oozing from the wounds and dripping down his hand; he was too blinded by his rage.

"Of course she chose that flirt over me. He actually had the courage to approach her and act on his feelings while I hid mine. Ugh, what a coward I am! I let the small chance of rejection keep me from acting upon my heart. What a disgrace! How can someone as weak and fearful as I call myself a member of the Thunder God Tribe?...This is all Rufus' fault! If he hadn't met Hana, none of this would've happened. I could have eventually overcome my fears and confessed to Hana, but he came in and ruined everything. I HATE HIM!!! I...I wish he would just disappear!"

As the painful throbbing in his hand finally grew sharp enough to catch his attention, Freed glanced down at his bloody palm, and a rather unsettling idea came to his mind.

"I could lash out like Natsu or Gajeel. I could attack Rufus and fight him for Hana, or I could lure him into a dark place and subdue him there....No!!! What is going on with me?! Why would I consider such acts as acceptable even for a moment?! I am not that kind of person, not anymore. I swore to myself and to the others I would never again revert to old ways. Still...it hurts so much, and that bastard is at fault. I want to hurt him so badly, but I mustn't. I won't sink that low ever again, especially not in front of Hana. I must not revert to the old Freed Justine who would kill without a second thought. That me died after the Battle of Fairy Tail. I must keep my composure in front of her, even if it hurts."

With a shaky breath, Freed reached out his other hand and turned the shower handle. Immediately, cold water began to rain down and hit the floor with a soft pitter patter.

"A cool shower will help me calm down. I can't let my anger go to my head. I have to accept the truth while also holding onto the hope that Hana will see the real Rufus behind all of his dazzling smiles and honey-coated words and get away from him before it's too late."

Meanwhile, outside of the bathroom, Laxus and the others were left in silence.

"I've never seen him so upset before." Bickslow stated.

"Could it really be true? Could Hana and Rufus really be together?" Kiyo stated.

"Of course not! Don't be ridiculous! She would never fall for that womanizer! There has to be something else going on here; the only question is what." Evergreen stated.

For a moment, each wizard grew deep in thought, but before long, their concentration was broken by a loud knocking on their door. 

"Oi Laxus, you in there?! Lucy said she needs you, me, Rogue, and Sting ASAP." Natsu called through the door. 

Laxus rolled in eyes in annoyance. "I'm coming, I'm coming!"

"Let me guess, you don't want any of us taking action until you get back and we've all discussed it further, right?" Evergreen asked as she watched her leader grab his coat.

Laxus nodded with a grunt. "For now, I need you to keep an eye on Freed. He normally has a good sense of self-control, but he's is at a very sensitive point right now. The smallest thing could make him snap, and we all know that won't help the tension already brewing between everyone. Do you all understand?"

"Yes sir!" Kiyo, Bickslow, and Evergreen stated dutifully.

Satisfied, Laxus opened the door and followed Natsu down the hall.

"We're not actually going to sit still and do nothing, right?" Kiyo asked as soon as she was certain he was out of earshot.

"Of course not!" Bickslow stated.

"However, we must be strategic about this." Evergreen stated.

"Hmm, I think I know someone who can help us." Kiyo smiled.

\-----------------------------

"You want us to go to a library?" Sting frowned, raising an eyebrow.

"Not just any library. The Magic Library has dozens of texts on every known magic, including books found nowhere else in the world. Since we can't leave the guild, we need you to go there and find as many books on Celestial magic as you can." Sierra explained.

"How about no? That sounds extremely boring and I hate reading." Natsu complained.

Lucy groaned in annoyance. 'Well, we would go do it ourselves if you would just let us leave-"

"Absolutely not! You girls could get hurt or abducted or worse! You are not leaving this building!" Sting exclaimed.

"Then you have to go in our place! Please, the books at the Magic Library might hold the spells we're looking for. Please, I'm begging you. Leo's life could be at risk!" Sierra pleaded.

Laxus and Rogue shared a glance, a silent agreement passing between them.

"Alright, alright, quit your blubbering. We'll go." Laxus stated, arms crossed.

"We will?" Sting asked.

"Yes Sting, we will." Rogue said flatly, glaring at his friend in a manner that told him he didn't have a choice.

"Thank you." Sierra stated with a smile of relief. "I'll have Janus drop you off at the library, and Lucy has written down directions on how to get back to the guild hall once you're done."

"Ugh, we don't have to take a train, do we?" Natsu whimpered, causing all the dragonslayers to pale.

"No, it's mostly walking actually since it's pretty deep in the forest." Lucy smiled as she handed a paper to each dragonslayer.

"Lucy, shouldn't we send Hana along with them? You know, so she can keep order and make sure they don't destroy the library full of priceless books and scrolls?" Yukino asked.

"I was about to, but Rufus said he went to check on her and found she was still pretty sick. I decided it would be best to let her rest. Besides, I have faith that Laxus will keep them in line." Lucy answered with a smile.

Laxus bit back a growl at the mention of Rufus' name. "So he and Hana were alone together. Heh, checking on her my arse. That guy is slipperier than a snake."

"Hey Laxus, you okay? You look kind of annoyed." Natsu stated.

"I'm fine. We should get going; we're burning daylight." the lightning dragonslayer replied sharply. 

"You three better not go anywhere while we're gone or I will take you keys this time and nothing anybody says will stop me." Sting threatened.

Pulling a key from her necklace, Sierra held it out and recited the necessary chant. "Gate of the Gatekeeper, I open thee! Janus!"

In a poof of light, Janus appeared, clothed in a pair of pajamas. Lifting the eye mask off of his face, he scowled at the group in annoyance. 

"I was in the middle of a nap. Can this wait?" he grumbled.

"I'm sorry, Janus. This will only take a minute, I promise." Sierra apologized.

"Alright. What do you need?" Janus sighed reluctantly.

Lucy immediately handed him a paper. "Could you take Laxus, Natsu, Sting, and Rogue to these coordinates for us? We need them to go to the Magic Library and find as many books on Celestial Spirit magic as they can."

Janus glanced at the note with little interest. "Yeah, I can take them. I don't know if my teleportation is going to mess with their motion sickness though."

"We'll take the chance."

"Hey, don't we get a say in this?!" Natsu protested.

"Would you quit whining? It'll probably last a millisecond. You can handle it." Laxus grumbled.

Stretching out his hand, Janus drew a door in thin air and swung it open. "Alright people, chop chop. I've got some very important beauty sleep to get back to."

"Janus, thank you." Sierra cooed as the minor god ushered the dragonslayers through the portal.

Janus turned to his master and, upon seeing her tired expression, offered her a smile. "You're welcome. Don't worry so much though; it'll do a number on your complexion. In all my years of serving mankind, I've never heard of a spell that could kill celestial spirits, so I doubt it exists."

"I hope you're right."

\------------------

Hearing the door to the library creak open, Kronos turned to see Echidna slither into the room.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Our informant says the fairies and tigers have sent four dragonslayers to the Magic Library to search for texts on Celestial magic." the monstrous woman explained.

"The Magic Library?" Kronos immediately began to smirk. "Will they be alone?"

"Yes sir. No one else is with them."

"Hmm, how foolish of their comrades, entrusting four beings of mass destruction around masses of priceless and one of a kind texts."

Echidna smiled as well. "Who do you want sent after them?"

Kronos thought for a moment. "Eris hasn't been out in a while, has she? I believe she could be quite useful in this instance."

"I'll dispatch her right away." Echidna cooed. However, as she was turning to leave, she stopped. "Kronos, why don't you just send our brethren to attack the three wizardesses while the dragonslayers are away? They could easily beat the remaining guild members? Why are you waiting?"

Kronos chuckled as he turned back to the window in front of him and gazed at the forest outside. "You'll see. Everything will be clear one day very soon."

Echidna rolled her eyes in annoyance as she left the room.

"Stupid cryptic jerk. Why the heck does he have to be so dramatic all the time?" she grumbled under her breath.

"I heard that." Kronos called after her,  making her shudder.

((Hey guys, sorry if this chapter kinda sucks. I've been kinda tired recently and haven't been getting enough sleep. I currently have several long weeks ahead of me since my school is starting practices for the spring musical already [I finally got a main role! Yay!] so updates are going to be very slow. However, I promise I'm doing my best. Thank you so much for your patience and support you guys. It means a lot to me.))


	12. Chapter 12

Sting's eyes widened as he, Laxus, Natsu, and Rogue entered the Magic Library.

"There's so many. Don't tell me we have to look through every shelf..." he whined.

"Pray all the books on Celestial Magic are in one section. Now quit whining and start looking." Laxus grunted, stepping over to bookcase and running his fingers along the spines.

Natsu and Sting both gave audible groans as their eyes scanned the entire room. There were so many bookcases; it could take days for them to find the section they were looking for, much less the right books. Glancing at the Sabertooth guildmaster, the fire dragonslayer smirked as an idea suddenly dawned on him.

"Hey Sting, I bet I can find the Celestial magic section before you can." he taunted.

"Ha, as if! We both know I'll find them first!" Sting replied with a cocktail grin.

"Is that so? You confident enough to put a wager on that?" the fire dragonslayer sneered.

Sting's eyes sparkled mischievously. "It depends on what you're proposing-"

The blonde's voice broke off as Rogue roughly smacked him across the back of the head.

"Ouch! Rogue, what the heck was that for?!" he exclaimed, gently caressing the spot where he had been struck. 

"You two will not be hosting contests of any kind while we're here." Rogue stated flatly.

"Why not?!" Sting whined. 

Rogue's eyes narrowed till they were mere glimmering red slits. "You seriously need to ask? When you and Natsu fight, havoc follows. Do you want to pay for the destruction of thousands for priceless books?"

Sting shuddered at the thought of the cost. "Ugh, no..."

"Then no competitions. Sting, you'll come with me and start searching the next floor while Natsu stays here with Laxus." 

"But I want to work with Natsu!"

"Quit whining and start acting like a guild master instead of a little kid. I'll meet you upstairs." Rogue said before merging with the shadows behind him and racing up the wall to the next level of the library.

"I don't act like a kid." Sting grumbled, crossing his arms as he stalked angrily towards the stairs.

\----------------------------

"Hey Sierra, can you call out Hermes for a second? We need to ask him for a favor."

Sierra raised as a questioning eyebrow as she glanced at Kiyo and Evergreen.

"He's taking a three day vacation right now. Can it wait?" she asked. When Kiyo fervently shook her head, she released a sigh and drew out the key of the requested spirit. "Gate of the Messenger, I open thee! Hermes!"

A bright flash blinded the trio and the smell of the ocean, tropical fruits, and suntan lotion greeted their noses. As the light faded away, the group found Hermes laying at their feet, snoring softly. His usual outfit has been replaced with flip flops, shorts, a tacky Hawaiian shirt, and a straw hat, which was currently pulled down over his eyes. Sensing that he was being watched, the god lifted the hat off of his face and squinted up at the three faces staring at him.

"Hey boss, what's the deal? I thought you agreed that I could have a few days off?" he grumbled.

"Yes, I know and I'm so sorry for bothering you. However, Kiyo insisted she needs your help." Sierra apologized.

Hermes' eyes shifted to the younger girl and stared at him. "You couldn't have asked someone else?"

"No one else has the skills necessary to complete this mission; you're the only one who can do this. We need you, Hermes. Please?" Kiyo said, batting her eyelashes.

Hermes smiled at the girl's flattery. "You're trying to sweet talk me, aren't you?"

"Of course not."

"Liar. However, you've definitely peaked my interest. What's this oh so important mission that only I can accomplish?" Hermes purred as he got off of the floor and sat at the bar, signaling for one of the barmaids to bring him a drink.

"Evergreen and I need you to spy on Hana for us." Kiyo said.

Hermes immediate spat out his drink, his eyes going wide. "What?! Do you want me to die?!"

"You're a celestial spirit. Technically, as far as we know, you can't die." Evergreen grumbled.

"Then she'll just continue beating me into a pulp until I wish I'm dead. I'm not doing it! No way, no how!"

"Please Hermes, you have to! Hana has been acting really weird lately and she's apparently completely out of the blue dating Rufus of all people! Something isn't right and we need you to spy on her and figure out what it is!"

"Not happening! Besides, all this lovey dovey drama crap is Aphrodite's domain, not mine! Make her do it!" Hermes stated.

"Hermes, you know she'll let her emotions get the best of her and blow her cover. We need you for this, Hermes! You're the only one sneaky enough to pull this off!"

"It doesn't matter how sneaky I am. Those super dragon senses of hers are almost impossible to fool! I can't do it; I'm sorry."

Kiyo scowled angrily at the spirit. However, it was replaced by a sly smirk as she got an idea.

"Fine, be that way. I guess I'll just have to do it myself then since you're too chicken. You're a pretty pathetic god if you ask me, letting a mere dragon scare you senseless. So cowardly. What would the other gods say if they found out?"

Hermes' eyes immediately narrowed. "You wouldn't dare..."

"I would." Kiyo smirked. "Now, do we have a deal or what?"

"Hmm...fine. I'll do it, but I want a six day vacation instead when this is done with, Sierra, got it?"

"Yes. I completely understand. Thank you, Hermes. It's very kind of you to do this and postpone your vacation further." Sierra said with a weak smile.

"Yeah, whatever. I better go talk with Athena and Artemis and see if they have any ideas of how I can hide from Hana's super senses. I'll start after that."

"Make sure you report back to us whatever you find!" Kiyo stated.

"I know the drill, kid. This isn't my first spy mission. Later." Hermes stated before disappearing in thin air.

Sierra glanced at a Kiyo with a look of disapproval. "That was downright low."

"Hey, it got him to cooperate, didn't it?" Kiyo said with a big smile.

Sierra sighed and took a sip from her glass of water. "You need to stop hanging around Bickslow. He's rubbing off on you."

\-------------------

As he scanned another shelf of books, Sting let his eyes wander from the leather spines over the railing and onto a patch of salmon pink hair on the floor below. Smirking to himself, he summoned a ball of light into his hand and threw it at the bookcase in front of Natsu. Upon impact, the orb exploded in a bright flash, blinding the fire dragonslayer and causing him to stumble back, hissing in pain.

"Sting, what the heck?!" he growled, turning in the direction from which the ball had come and blinking rapidly as his eyes adjusted.

Sting smirked at the half-blind fairy. "Why do you automatically assume I did it? What if it was Laxus? Lightning is pretty bright."

"Sting, quit trying to start a fight. Might I remind you of the expensive fee you'll have to pay if even one of these books is damaged? Get back to work and don't do it again." Rogue hissed

Sting rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Killjoy."

As the four dragonslayers focused on the books before them, all four failed to notice a cloud of purple mist forming on the fifth floor. From the cloud emerged a woman with violet-to-black ombré hair that reached her bum and glowing eyes with irises the color of fresh blood. With her hips swaying from side to side as she walked, the spirit made her way over to the railing, careful to remain in the shadows still, and gazed down at the four dragonslayers with a smirk on her dark lips.

"The tension in this room is so thick it's almost tangible. Perfect. With a little coaxing, they'll all explode in a matter of no time. Hmm, who should I start with...I think I'll go with the lighter blonde."

Summoning a small flame into her palm, Eris positioned her hand into a gun shape and aimed at the fur lining of the back of Sting's jacket. With a flick of the goddess' wrist, the miniature fireball shot down her figures and towards the unsuspecting dragonslayer, successful hitting its target and igniting the jacket on fire.

Sting's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as the smell of smoke greeted his nostrils. "Is something burning?"

Glancing over his shoulder, Sting's eyes widened in horror when he saw the flames eating away at his best. In the blink of an eye, he ripped off his vest and tossed onto the floor, stomping on it furiously till all the flames went out. With an angry snarl, he spun on his heels and angrily stormed over the floor's edge, leaning over the railing and glaring pointedly at the back of the Natsu's head.

"Hey Flamebrain, wheat the heck was that for?!"

Natsu glanced up at Sting with an annoyed scowl. "What are you whining about now, Sting?"

"You set my jacket on fire, you idiot, and now it's ruined! See?!" Sting exclaimed, holding up his charred vest.

"I did no such thing, ya liar!" Natsu growled, clenching his fists.

"Well I guess it just light itself then! Quit the act, Natsu. I know it was you!" 

"I said I didn't do it! You probably just set off a protection spell placed on one of the books, you baka! Now quit accusing me before I come up there and send you rocketing up to the top floor!" 

"You wanna go, Pinky?!"

"Both of you, knock it off!" Laxus barked as he emerged from one of the many aisles of books and glared pointedly at the two. "Natsu, apologize to Sting."

"But I didn't do anything!"

"I don't care! Just apologize already so you two will stop arguing and get back to work!"

Natsu scowled angrily at Laxus. The the lightning dragonslayer's expression didn't budge, the pink-haired boy grumbled something under his breath.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you!" Sting sneered, cupping his hand mockingly around his ear.

"I said I'm sorry for burning you stupid coat, ya idiot!" Natsu snapped.

Sting's smug smirk was immediately replaced by an irritated frown. "Hey! My jacket isn't stupid!"

"Sting, would you take the apology and just shut up so we can get back to work?" Rogue groaned.

"Fine, but I'm watching you, Sulfur Breath!" Sting huffed, shooting Natsu one last glare before heading back to the case of books he had been inspecting. Rolling his eyes, Natsu turned back to the shelves in front of him. Satisfied, Laxus began to head down another row of bookcases, but he paused when a sound that sounded like muffled laughter greeted his ears. However, when his eyes scanned the room for any signs of life besides the other dragonslayers, he saw nothing. Shrugging off the paranoia he felt, he continued down the row, completely oblivious to the presence of the mischievous goddess watching him from a few floors above. Once she was certain he was no longer listening, she released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. 

"That was close; I almost got caught. I must have better self control...oh, but their expressions were priceless! Since you're already upset, I'll pick on you next, pinky." Erie purred as her eyes fell on Natsu.

This time, the goddess slowly reached her left hand out of the shadows and aimed a beam of light to shine in Natsu's eyes. Like he had done before, the dragonslayer hissed in pain, his hands flying to cover his face. 

"What the crap, Sting?! I said I was sorry!" he exclaimed, rubbing his eyes.

"I didn't do anything, Natsu!" Sting retorted defensively.

"Yes you did! You just blinded me again!"

"I did not!"

"Did too!" 

"You probably just set off a spell placed on one of the books, stupid." Sting teased, reusing Natsu's previous statement about his burning vest. "Unlike you, I'm actually innocent in this situation."

A growl echoed from the back of Natsu's throat as his eyes narrowed into slits. "Innocent my butt, you cheeky bastard! You better apologize or else!"

"Or else what?"

The tension in the air intensified as the two dragonslayers glare at each other, the hair on the back of their necks standing on end.

"Sting, you've had your fun with him now. Apologize." Rogue stated in a stern tone.

"Rogue, I didn't do anything, I swear!" Sting protested.

"Sting, you're the only one here with light-related magic. You honestly expect me to believe you?"

"Yes!!!"

"Sting, just apologize to him."

"No! I didn't do anything wrong so there's no reason to apologize!"

"Sting-"

"I mean it, Rogue!"

Rogue pinched the bridge of his nose as his head started to throb. "My apologies, Natsu. It would seem Sting's immaturity is making him stubborn. Please accept my apology; I'll make sure he doesn't do it again."

"What did you just call me?!" Sting snapped.

"Just shut up and get back to work." Rogue snapped, a little irritated with his teammate. As the guildmaster of Sabertooth, he was supposed to act more mature than this and not start petty fights merely out of boredom or vengeance. He just didn't seem to get it.

As both Natsu and Sting turned their backs to each other, another amused giggle escaped Eris' lips.

"Perfect! Both of them are ready to explode! Which bomb should I set off first? Hmm...I know! I'll just do both of you at once!" She thought to herself.

Focusing her magic energy on two books, one behind Sting and the other behind Natsu, the goddess watched as the leather bound novels went soaring through the air before crashing into the back of the boys' heads. Both of them immediately stopped what they were doing, their bodies tense. Slowly, wisps of what appeared to be a purple fog drifted off of the books and into the dragonslayers' nostrils. Angry snarls left their throats as their eyes turned the same bloody red color as Eris' and they began to radiate massive amounts of magic energy.

"THAT'S IT!!! YOU'RE GOING DOWN!!!" they both roared as they spun on their heels and charged at each other.

Leaping off of the upper floor's railing, Sting rocketed towards Natsu as a ball of light formed around his fist.

"White Dragon's Fist!" he before as he struck Natsu, sending the pyrokinetic skidding backwards before he slammed into one of the many bookcases behind him.

"Crap." Rogue muttered, turning his body into a shadow and racing back down to the ground floor. "Natsu, don't-"

"Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu's yelled, a column of flames shooting out of his mouth and straight at Sting.

"White Dragon's Roar!" came Sting's reply as he spat out an equally powerful blast of light.

The two beams collided with a loud explosion, sending sparks flying in every direction. As the sparks landed on various shelves, their books burst into flames then were reduced to piles of ash.

Hearing the explosion and smelling the smoke, Laxus swore under his breath and raced out of the aisle. Assessing the situation, he charged over to Natsu's and cupped his hand over the dragonslayer's mouth. When Sting barreled towards him, the lightning dragonslayer punched him aside while Natsu squirmed in his grasp.

"Rogue, find a way to put out the flames! I'll handle these two!" He shouted.

At first, Rogue hesitated, watching as Laxus struggled to control Natsu while fending off Sting at the same time, but one stern glare from the other dragonslayer sent him scampering towards the burning bookshelves.

Once he was certain Rogue was cooperating, Laxus began to drag Natsu towards the library's front door, kicking Sting away whenever he came too close.

"Natsu, get ahold of yourself! Do you want the entire library to burn down?!" he shouted at the boy tucked under his arm.

Natsu didn't respond. Instead, he sank his teeth into Laxus' palm and leaped from his companion's arms when his grip slackened slightly. The minute his feet touched the ground, he raced towards Sting, his eyes full of bloodlust. 

"Fire Dragon's Crushing Flame!" he bellowed, swiping at the blonde's head. Sting narrowly dodged the attack, the flames passing mere inches above his head before slamming into another bookcase. Rogue cursed loudly from somewhere nearby.

After wiping off his now bleeding palm, Laxus grabbed a piece of cloth off of a nearby table and wrapped it around the wound.

"Alright, you two are obviously not going to listen to reasoning, so I'm going to have to get rough." he grumbled to himself before charging back into the fray.

Meanwhile, Rogue hastily stomped out the flames eating away at the base of one of the bookshelves. It seemed that for every book he saved, five more were lost to the menacing flames.

"This is getting me nowhere. I have to do something else and quick! Ugh, what would Gajeel do in a situation like this?" 

As he hovered in front of several burning bookshelves, Rogue tried to mentally step into his childhood rolemodel's shoes. 

"Well, first he would punch Natsu and yell at him. However, after that he would..."

Rogue immediately recalled when he and Gajeel had been pitted against one another in the Grand Magic Games. He could still recall the cheeky smile on his idol's face as his magic fused with Rogue's.

"Wait a minute, that's it! I'll consume Natsu's flames just like Gajeel consumed my shadows."

Eying the roaring flames, Rogue felt his heartbeat race anxiously. There were a lot of them, and he didn't know how eating such a large portion of another magic was going to affect him. However, he had to do it. Silencing the nervous voices in the back of his head, he inhaled deeply, struggling not to gag as the scorching scorching flames slithered down his throat. While Natsu may have found them to be appetizing, to Rogue they tasted bitter and dry. Still, he persisted swallow gulp after gulp of fire and smoke, ignoring the churning in his stomach. Slowly, the roaring flames began to shrink till only a small bonfire remained. As he warily eyed the remaining flames, Rogue was struck by a wave of dizziness and started to stumble.

"Can't....give out.....Have to....finish....the job....." he thought as his head spun.

Taking one last deep breath, the shadow dragonslayer inhaled the remaining flames before collapsing to the ground, comatose.

"Rogue!!!" Laxus exclaimed when he saw the dark-haired dragonslayer crumple to the floor. Turning back to Natsu and Sting, he clenched his jaw angrily.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!!!" he roared, his voice dropping several octaves. Immediately, a great power swept over the room like a mighty wave. Natsu and Sting immediately froze, turning to stare at their comrade. Laxus was equally as shocked as they were.

"What was that? Was.....Was that Dragon Speech?" 

Unfortunately, the initial surprise wore off rather quickly. With low growls, Natsu and Sting sprinted towards Laxus. Irritated, the lightning dragonslayer wound back his arm then swung.

"Lightning Dragon's Breakdown Fist!" he bellowed, shooting a fist-shaped blast of lightning at the two dragonslayers. Natsu and Sting were immediately knocked back as the electricity raced throughout their body, stunning them. As his opponents hit the ground, Laxus fell to his knees, panting tiredly. Suddenly, the sound of the library's double doors creaking open greeted his ears.

"Hey, you guys here-WHAT HAPPENED?!"

Laxus looked to see two of Sierra's spirits entering the library. Reaching into the back of his memory, he tried to recall their names.

"Dionysus? Ares? What are you two doing here?"

"We were sent to check on you guys, and it's a good thing too. What the heck happened here?!"

Laxus was about to respond but stopped when he noticed Natsu and Sting starting to stir. The a grunt, he lunged towards them. However, he only managed to pin down Natsu while Sting scrambled away, snarling savagely. Luckily, Ares was prepared and tackled the light dragonslayer to the floor. Natsu and Sting squirmed wildly within their captors' grasps, snapping their teeth and hissing like rabid animals. Frowning, Dionysus knelt before the dragonslayers and grabbed hold their chins to keep them still. He immediately noticed their eyes.

"This is a rage spell..." he muttered.

Laxus' brow furrowed in confusion. "A what?"

"A rage spell is one of the many spells of Insanity magic. However, this spell is oddly weak..." Dionysus explained. Placing his hands on the tops of the bewitched dragonslayers, he muttered a few words under his breath. Immediately, the dark mist evaporated, and the dragonslayers' eyes returned to normal.

"Gah, my head hurts. What happened? And why is Laxus sitting on me? Get off!" Natsu stated, giving Laxus a rough shove.

As Ares climbed off of him, Sting sat up and scanned the room. When his eyes landed on Rogue's limp body, his heart stopped as his stomach dropped into a bottomless pit.

"Rogue? Rogue!" Leaping to his feet, the light dragonslayer raced to his friend's side and began to shake him violently. "Rogue, wake up! Come on, this isn't funny! Wake up!" 

"Dionysus, Rogue needs medical attention immediately. Can you take him back to Sabertooth through the celestial world?" Laxus inquired.

Dionysus nodded. "Of course, but I'm not sure if Ares and I can transport all four of you."

"Don't worry about it. The rest of us will walk back. Just get him to the guildhall as quickly as possible."

"I'll walk with you, in case those two are struck by another spell." Ares offered.

"Thank you."

As Dionysus scooped up Rogue's body, Sting looked up at him with eyes full of desperation.

"He's going to be okay, right?" he asked in a voice barely above a whisper.  
Dionysus sighed. "I don't know. Apollo will look at him though, so have hope."

Sting's face fell as the spirit and his best friend disappeared. Slowly, his desperation turned to anger.

"This-This is your fault!" he roared, turning on Natsu.

"My fault?! You attacked me first!" Natsu protested in reply.

"Both of you stop!" Laxus growled, causing both of them to flinch. "Fighting is what got us into this situation in the first place! If you two truly feel any remorse about Rogue's condition then shut up and wait for me outside!"

Sting and Natsu were taken aback by Laxus' harsh tone. Hanging their heads, they slunk towards the door as Laxus made his way over to one of the ruined bookshelf. Oddly, it seemed only one section of the library had caught on fire. Picking up the charred remains of one of the books, he flipped it over and read what remained of the cover. He swore under his breath when he realized the destroyed book was about celestial magic. 

"That means this was the section on celestial magic! Those idiots! They destroyed the very books we needed!"

Frustrated, Laxus chucked the book aside and stormed out of the library with Ares in tow. As she watched him leave, a smug smile danced across Eris' face. Reaching into her pocket, she produced a communication lacrima and activated it. 

"Kronos, can you hear me?" she purred.

The inside of the lacrima began swirl and churn before a familiar face materialized inside.

"Eris, was your mission successful?" Kronos' warbled voice questioned.

"Even better. Not only did they destroy the books on celestial magic, but now one of their comrades is comatose as well."

The deity of time released a sinister chuckle. "Excellent, and no one saw you?"

"No one, and given that my chaos magic is pretty much untraceable, I doubt anyone will suspect our involvement."

"Perfect. The Collector will be very pleased. I will come pick you up myself. Wait patiently for me."

"Yes, my lordship." Eris stated, bowing meekly before deactivating the lacrima. Glancing around, she noticed a golden book with silver lettering on the spine sitting on a nearby shelf. Curious, she pulled it down and stared at the cover.

"A Spirit's Escape?" she read aloud. "What's a book on celestial magic doing up here?"

As the book's cursive lettering sparkled in the dim light, the goddess felt a great urge to open the text and start reading.

"Well, I'm going to be here awhile, so why not?"


	13. Chapter 13

When Kronos entered the library, he found it to be unusually silent.

"Eris?" he called out.

When no reply came, the titan took a cautious step forward. Suddenly, a blast of purple energy shot forth from the shadows, missing the spirit's head by mere inches. Kronos instinctively jumped back, his eyes fixed on the darkness.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" he demanded, bracing himself for another attack.

Slowly, Eris emerged into the light, the golden book she had found before clutched tightly in one hand.

"You snake! How dare you lie to me!" she hissed, glaring daggers at the titan as she trembled with rage.

Kronos' eyes narrowed when he saw the book in Eris' grasp. "Where did you find that?"

"That's not important! What's important is that you lied to the others and to me!" Eris roared.

"Eris, still the rage within your heart. You see not the complete picture-"

"I see it just fine! You plan to use the rest of us and then leave us behind just as the mortals do, bastard!" the angry goddess shrieked, hurling the book in her hand at Kronos. The titan caught the novel with ease and tucked it under his arm before approaching his enraged comrade.

"Eris, have I ever given you any reason to doubt me? Have I ever betrayed you before?" he cooed softly in an attempt to soothe her, his eyes boring into hers as he loomed over her.

"No. However, unlike our master, I am not a blind fool. I know of your shifty, deceitful ways; I will never fully trust you." Eris spat in reply. However, the dark aura radiating off of her lessened slightly as she was enveloped in Kronos' shadow.

The titan's lips curved into a smile as he slipped an arm around the goddess' waist and pulled her to his chest. "You are quite wise, my dear. That is one of the reasons I love you, and it is upon that love that I swear I never intended to leave you or our brethren behind."

As Kronos pressed his lips to Eris', the goddess' mind screamed for her to pull away while her heart begged her to return the kiss. Against her better judgement, she pulled the titan closer to herself, moaning softly as he deepened the kiss. Breaking their lips apart, Kronos started peppering Eris' neck with affectionate pecks while she shivered with pleasure.

"My queen, my sweet whirlwind of chaos, if you wished to know my true plan, all you had to do is ask. Although I wish to keep my plan as secret as possible out of the precaution that one of The Collector's more loyal spirits will tell him if they hear, I trust you to keep things hush hush. Can you?"

"Yes, Lord Kronos." Eris purred between moans. "Please tell me. Open my eyes and help me to see what you do. Don't keep me in the dark any longer."

Grinning, Kronos leaned close to Eris' ear and whispered in a husky voice. "Alright, my darling, I will tell you but your lips must remain forever sealed after this. In the book you read, the author was creating a spell to turn a spirit into a human. Did you continue reading after that?"

"Yes."

"Then you know that the spell can only be performed by one particular spirit whom Miss Heartfilia also owns and it will kill her in the process?"

"Yes."

"I told our master about this spell."

Eris' eyes widened in horror. "You what?!" 

"Do not fret, my dear. I told him saying he could use it to kill Leo to avenge Karen, and the old fool bought it. However, I did not tell him about the alternative spell."

"Alternative spell?"

"There is a way for Liberty to free a spirit and not die. She can perform a spell where a human and a spirit can switch places. While this spell will put a great strain on her, it will not kill her. Therefore, it can be performed multiple times."

Eris' eyes sparkled as the information clicked. "You plan to trade places with a mortal then free the rest of us."

Kronos grinned widely. "Not just any mortal."

Realizing who he meant, Eris' lips curved into a wicked smile. "Forgive me, my love. I never should've doubted you."

"I do not blame you for being suspicious, my dear. However, you must come to me with your questions if you wish to rule by my side." Kronos said in a sultry voice. "Once we are free from The Collector, we will fulfill our goal for conquest and you will become a queen. I cannot have my queen doubting in me, can I?"

"No, you cannot." Eris purred as she placed a tender kiss on the titan's nose. "But what if someone uses Liberty's key to turn us back?"

"I have already thought of that. After she turns the last of my followers into mortals, I will crush her key and kill her to ensure on freedom." 

"Kronos, you are truly insane."

The titan smiled down at his love. "Insanity to some us brilliance to others."

\----------------------------

As she stared down at Rogue's limp form on the cot in the infirmary, a sigh left Hana's lips. Hearing the infirmary door creak open, the dragonslayer turned her head to see Apollo slipping into the room. When his tired eyes saw Hana, he flashed her a weak smile and hastily joined her by Rogue's beside. 

"He should wake up in a few days. There's nothing to worry about." he told her.

"I should've gone with them, Apollo. If I had been there, this wouldn't have happened." Hana stated before mumbling to herself, "What were those two bakas thinking?"

"Speaking of Sting and Natsu, I think you need talk to them again before they suffocate everyone here with the tension between them."

Hana sighed again, pinching the bridge of her nose. Of course those two were still mad at one another. Ever since their return the day before, a single word hadn't passed between them; they merely glared angrily at each other and muttered some offensive comments under their breath when the other wasn't listening. Each blamed the other for Rogue getting hurt and both refused to accept responsibility for what happened.

Apollo frowned when he noticed how stressed the dragonslayer looked. "I could ask Laxus or Erza to deal with them if you would prefer-"

"No no, it's fine. I'll deal with them. Thank you for telling me. Please do whatever you can to help Rogue wake up sooner." she stated, spinning on her heels and briskly making her way towards the door as the god worriedly watched her.

"Hana, are you feeling okay-"

"Yes, I'm fine. I'll be back to check on Rogue later." 

Before she could be interrogated further, Hana left the infirmary. However, she had barely stepped out the door before she collided with someone.

"Oops, sorry Hana! I didn't see you in time!" Kiyo exclaimed.

"Don't worry about. It's fine." The Dragon Queen replied half-heartedly.

"Okay....Hana, are you alright? You haven't be acting like yourself lately and I'm starting to worry about you."

Hana flashed her friend a forced smile. "Yes, I'm fine. I'm just a little tired and stressed out right now. However, I'll be fine once all of this madness is over with. Now, do you know where Natsu and Sting are? I need to talk to them."

Kiyo could tell her friend was lying, but she also knew how stubborn Hana could get so she decided not to question her further. "They're both over by the bar. Laxus us currently keep tabs on them to make sure they don't start fighting again."

"Thank you."

Shuffling over to bar, Hana soon found the three dragonslayers she was looking for. Laxus was seated between Sting and Natsu, who were purposely staring in opposite directions while occasionally shooting a scowl at one another over their shoulders. As she approached them, she flashed Laxus a sympathetic smile, which he returned. Shifting her gaze Natsu and Sting, her eyes hardened, causing the two dragonslayers to flinch.

"Will you two quit pouting and make up already? Your sulking isn't going to make Rogue wake up any faster." she grumbled, folding her arms over her chest.

Natsu and Sting shared a glance and then turned their backs to each other with a huff.

"I'll apologize once Natsu agrees to help pay for the damages he did to the library." Sting said flatly.

"You're the one who attacked me first, you freaking bastard! I was just defending myself!" Natsu snapped angrily.

"Yeah, well inhaling your magic is the reason Rogue's unconscious right now."

"He wouldn't have had to do that if you didn't set me off! This is all your fault, not mine!"

Sting leaped to his feet with a growl. "You know what, maybe you guys should just go back to your own guild! We can protect Yukino just fine on our own."

"Ha, as if! You have no idea what you're up against, Sting. You don't stand a chance." Natsu sneered.

Sting's eyes narrowed as he angrily clenched his fists. However, before he could attack, Hana stepped between the two, blocking their view of one another.

"Hana, move out of the way." he hissed, but the Dragon Queen didn't budge.

"Fighting isn't going to get us anywhere. I think you two just need to give each other some space. Natsu, why don't you and Laxus go train for a bit while Sting attends to his guildmaster duties?"

Both boys remained silent for a moment, the tension between never wavering.

"Fine. Let's go, Laxus." Natsu grunted and made his way towards the front door of the hall.

"I'm not paying for anything you ruin so you better be careful!" Sting called after him.

For a moment, Natsu stopped on his tracks, and although she couldn't see his face, Hana knew he was struggling with the urge to lunge at Sting and rip out his throat. However, much to her relief, the fire dragonslayer merely took a deep breath and kept walking, slamming the door behind him as he and Laxus left. Irritated, the Dragon Queen turned to scold Sting only to find that he had disappeared.

"Ugh, I'm too tired to look for him right now. I'll deal with him later. I'm going to take a nap."

Heading down the hallway towards the guest rooms, Hana massaged her throbbing temples as she walked, completely oblivious to the person standing in front of the door to her room till she bumped into him.

"Huh? Freed? What are you doing outside my room?" she asked in surprise.

"I need to talk you." Freed answered bluntly, his eyes fixed on the girl.

Hana groaned as her headache pulsed again. "Can I wait? I need to go lay down, I have a splitting headache."

Freed frowned and peered closely at the girl's face. "You look pale. Are you feeling ill?"

"No, I'm just stressed that's all. Could you please move out of my doorway?"

Freed nodded and hastily slid aside so the dragonslayer could open the door. As she shuffled inside, he quietly followed behind her, silently debating with himself about what he was about it say.

"Hana, I need to talk to you about Rufus."

Hana's entire body stiffened at the mention of the Memory-Make wizard's name. Forcing herself to remain calm and act casual, she continued walking and grabbed an empty glass off of her night stand before going over to the sink and filling it with cool water. "What about him?"

"Are-Are you two really together?"

".......Yes." the Dragon Queen answered, her stomach churning as she did so. "Why do you ask?"

Freed bit back a curse as he clenched his fists. "Because-Because you shouldn't be! He isn't good for you, Hana! He's a womanizer and a flirt. He's going to break your heart!"

"People can change. Loke changed." Hana mumbled, not believing a word that left her lips.

"Sometimes they don't, Hana! I already know he won't! You shouldn't be with him! He's just going to hurt you!"

"Don't you have to take that risk no matter who you love?"

"You still shouldn't be careless!"

Hana flinched at her friend's harsh tone. Turning to face him, she immediately noticed the fiery passion burning in his vibrant blue eyes.

"Why do you care so much?" she asked softly.

Freed's expression faltered for a moment, taken aback by the question. However, he quickly turned away and recovered his poker face before replying. "You're my friend. I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"Freed, I can tell that you're lying. What's the real reason?"

A hush fell over the room as Freed stared at the ground in front of him, debating about what to say. As he raised his eyes to meet Hana's, his face hardened as he made his decision.

"Because I like you."

Hana felt her heart shatter. Even after Rufus had told her about Freed's feelings toward her, some doubt had still lingered in the back of her mind. Now that he had confessed, she couldn't deny the truth any longer.

"Freed, I....I...."

Freed sighed and looked away again, his heart wrenching painfully. "I see my words do not change your mind, although I didn't really expect them to."

Tears welled up in Hana's eyes as a large lump formed in her throat. She wanted so badly to confess to him as well. She wanted to run into his arms and tell him that she loved him. She wanted to tell him about Rufus' threats and that she had no feelings for the blonde. However, she could not.

"Freed, I'm sorry....."

Freed scoffed at her, folding his arms over his chest. "How can you be so blind, Hana? Don't you see what's coming?"

Hana said nothing. With a sigh, Freed turned and headed for the door.

"I hope you two are happy together." He muttered flatly before slamming the door shut behind him.

For a moment, Hana stood staring blankly at the doorway in front of her, her mind still processing what had just occurred. As the gravity of the situation set in, the dragonslayer's knees gave out as she collapsed onto her bed. Unable to hold back her tears any longer, she sobbed loudly into her mattress, trembling uncontrollably. As she cried, she felt a pair of hands begin rubbing soothing circles on her back. For a moment, Hana's spirits lifted, but as she turned around to see who was comforting her, her heart fell once more.

"Wow doll, I didn't know you missed me so much." Rufus said with smirk on his lips.

Glaring at the blonde Sabertooth mage, Hana roughly shoved him off of her and turned her back to him. "What are you doing here, Rufus? Haven't you ruined my life enough already?"

"Aw, don't be like that, Hana. Things may hurt now, but in the end, it'll all be for the best." Rufus purred as he slid closer to her and wrapped his arms around her. "Now, lets get out of this stuffy guild and go out somewhere. I think the tension in the air is starting to get to you."

"I don't want to go. I'm exhausted and need to get some sleep." Hana snapped. 

Rufus' smile faded as his eyes narrowed. Grabbing hold of Hana's wrist, he roughly yanked her to him and held her tight.

"Ouch! Rufus, you're hurting me!" she whimpered, squirming in his iron grasp.

"I didn't ask if you wanted to go."

"Rufus, let go! I really don't feel well."

"Then suck it up. You're coming with me whether you want to or not." Rufus growled and began to drag Hana out of bed. The Dragon Queen squirmed desperately in the man's grasp but she couldn't break free.

"Why can't I escape?! Did he get stronger?!"

"Struggling is of no use. I've already copied your strength along with that of the other dragonslayers to make sure you can't escape my grasp. Now be a good girl and come with me quietly or you'll regret it."

Looking up at Rufus with fearful eyes, Hana stopped squirming and allowed the mage to guide her out of the room. This sensation of helplessness was foreign to her; she had never before felt so weak or afraid.

"Hey Sting, Hana and I have some business to attend to. We'll be back in a bit." Rufus called as he guided his girlfriend through the main lobby if the guild towards the door.

As she followed Rufus like livestock following a butcher to the slaughterhouse, Hana's eyes landed on Freed. For a brief moment, the two locked eyes. However, Freed quickly turned away with an irritated huff, oblivious to the look of desperation in his friend's eyes as she was led out of the guild by the man she was being forced to love.

As the two mages left the guild, the two mages were completely unaware to the fact that they were being watched. As they headed down the road, Hermes' eyes followed them with interest. Reaching into the messenger bag draped across his body, he pulled out one of several camera lacrimas he had "borrowed" from Hephaestus' shop. Turning it on, he hastily slipped off of the roof of the guild hall and dashed down an alleyway in pursuit of the couple.

((Sorry this chapter is about a hundred words short of what I would usually write for you guys, but I'm 95% certain the next chapter will be much longer than usual so that should make up for it. Now before you say anything, I know Kronos and Eris aren't actually a thing in mythology, but I'm putting my own creative twist on the characters, okay? I'll try my best to get chapters out with Thanksgiving break coming up, but I can't make any promises after looking at my schedule. Just know that I'm trying, okay? Thanks guys. In case I don't get a chapter out later this week, I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!))


	14. Chapter 14

Rufus and Hana walked side by side in silence as the blonde guided the dragonslayer further and further away from the guild. After passing a park and a small shopping center, the duo slipped down an alleyway, at the end of which was a door. Raising his fist, Rufus tapped a specific rhythm on the wooden surface and smiled as it swung open.

"After you." he purred, flashing Hana a wink.

Cautiously, Hana stepped inside the dark room. As her eyes adjusted, she saw several tables full of people, each one waited on by a beautiful, scantily clad woman. At one end of the tavern, barrels of ale and other substances were stacked to the ceiling and at the other was a stage full of dancers. As he entered the building, Rufus and the tavern owner, who was standing behind the bar counter, shared a look and sent each other a look of acknowledgement before the blonde grabbed his date and pulled her through another door next to the stage. This second room was lavishly furnished with leather furniture and smelled of alcohol and sweet incense. A grand fireplace provided the space with warmth as well as a dim source of light while the rest of the room remained blanketed in shadow. Hana glanced at Rufus and raised a questioning eyebrow.

"I did the owner a favor a long time ago. As payment, he lets me use this room whenever I come here. Now I come here whenever I need to get away from the guild." Rufus explained with a smile as he made his way over to the leather arm chair by the fire and pulled the Dragon Queen onto his lap.

"So you basically leave one tavern just to go to another?" she asked, earning a chuckle out of him.

"It would appear so. However, it's not like I come here for the beer or the girls. I come here when I need to think mostly."

"So why are we here now?" 

"There is an urgent matter that we need to discuss and I wanted us to do so in private." Rufus stated, looking up at Hana, the light of the fireplace reflecting in his emerald green eyes. "You need to quit Fairy Tail and join Sabertooth."

Hana's jaw dropped. "Excuse me?"

"I overheard your conversation with Sting and Natsu. When Sting suggested that you leave, I realized our time together is limited as long as you remain with Fairy Tail. However, if you join Sabertooth, then you don't have to leave and we can be together. You have to do it!" 

"Um, how about no? All my friends are in Fairy Tail, Rufus; I can't just leave them like that. They'll be heartbroken."

"But if you go home, then I'll be heartbroken. Besides, you'll have to do it eventually once we get serious and settle down, so why not just bite the bullet and do it now?"

"Rufus, no! I'm not leaving my guild just because you tell me to! They're my family!"

"Then disown your family and join mine! I'm not letting you leave!"

"You can't stop me!"

With an angry grunt, Rufus threw Hana to the floor and pinned her down by her wrists. "Have you really not gotten it through your thick skull yet? I OWN you, Hana. As long as I can erase your memories, you are no more than a puppet on a string. You belong to me, and you must do as I say."

Tears spilled down Hana's cheeks as she laid helplessly underneath Rufus. "B-But Sierra and Kiyo....they'll be devastated..."

"I don't care. I need you here with me so I can keep an eye on you to make sure you don't tell anyone the truth about us. Besides, me leaving you alone means you'll be vulnerable to other guys sweeping you off of your feet. We can't have that."

"Rufus, please don't do this...." Hana whimpered.

With a sly smile on his lips, Rufus gently cupped his girlfriend's face in one hand and lovingly caressed her cheek. "Don't cry, darling. If it hurts too much, I'll erase them from your mind. Would that help?"

Hana bit her lip and shook her head. After climbing off of her, Rufus pulled the dragonslayer into his lap and stroked her hair comfortingly.

"Shh, don't cry darling. It won't hurt forever." he cooed.

Suddenly, a loud beep echoed throughout the room, followed by someone cursing under his breath. Rufus immediately leaped to his feet, his eyes peering into the shadows of the private room.

"Who's there?!" he barked.

Hana knew who was hiding in the shadows; she had heard that voice many times. 

"Hermes, get out of here before he catches you!" she pleaded silently.

When he wasn't met with an answer, Rufus clenched his jaw angrily. 

"Alright, I guess we'll have to do this the hard way." he growled holding out his hand. "Memory-Make: Showering Ancient Wisdom!" 

There was a scream as a bright light filled the room. Beneath the magical golden seal floating in the air laid Hermes, a camera lacrima grasped tightly in one hand. Smirking, Rufus approached the god and ripped the lacrima from his grasp.

"What have we here? A spy? And what's this? You recorded our conversation? Well that just won't do." Rufus stated before placing the lacrima beneath his boot. However, before he could crush it, the door to the room flew open and a blur of silver and black pounced on the blonde, tackling him to the floor.

Hana blinked in disbelief. "Skylar?"

"Hana, grab the lacrima and go!" The Exceed shouted, kicking the glass ball so it rolled to her master's feet.

"H-How did you know where I was?"

"I overheard Kiyo and Evergreen ask Hermes to spy on you and Rufus and I decided to do so as well. However, that isn't important right now! Hurry up and go before-" Skylar's voice broke off as Rufus clamped his hand down on the side of her head. The cat's eyes immediately rolled back in her head and she collapsed onto the floor, her body shifting back into its normal form as she slipped into unconsciousness.

"Skylar!" Hana cried in horror.

"Don't worry, darling. She still remembers how to breathe, but that's about it. However, I'll return all of her memories, except of course the ones regarding this little encounter. All you have to do is give me that lacrima." Rufus purred as he shoved Skylar's limp body off of him and rose to his feet once more.

Hana's eyes darted from the crystal orb at her feet to the psychotic yandere mage in front of her to Skylar to Hermes. For a moment, her and the god locked eyes, and a silent understanding passed between them. Reaching out his hand, Hermes grabbed Skylar's shoulder, and the two disappeared in a bright flash. While Rufus was blinded, Hana snatched up the lacrima and fled, running as fast as her legs could carry her and ignoring the bizarre looks she received from the other people in the unusually quiet tavern as she sprinted out the door.

"Crap, she got away." Rufus grumbled as he rubbed his eyes. "Fortunately for me, she can only run while I can fly. Memory-Make: Aera!"

As two white wings sprang forth from his back, Rufus soared out of the tavern and out into the open.

"You won't escape me, my little dragon. You're mine."

\-----------------

Just as the guild hall came into view, Hana was suddenly enveloped in a large shadow. Looking up, she cursed when she saw Rufus flying over her head. Before he could grab her, she dashed down an alleyway full of clotheslines and dove behind several large crates. Landing at the mouth of the alley, Rufus slowly stalked towards the crates and easily swiped them aside with one wing. 

"Boo." he said with a cocky smirk.

Hana immediately bolted away, Rufus following hot in pursuit. As she rounded a corner, she slammed into something, or rather someone considerably shorter than herself, knocking her to the ground. 

"Okay, I'm starting to think you're the one who needs to look where you're going." Kiyo grumbled, rubbing her sore bum as she got back up. Noticing the look of panic in her friend's eyes, she asked worriedly, "Hey, is something wrong?"

Thinking quickly, Hana grabbed her friend's hand and pulled her behind a fresh vegetable stand just as Rufus flew by. Frowning, the blonde mage hastily circled back and landed on the roof of the guild, watching the entrances like a hawk. Hana cursed loudly under her breath.

"Hana, what's going on?" Kiyo asked. She was a tad freaked out by her friend's odd behavior to say the least.

"He has got a clear view of all the entrances from up there; I won't be able to sneak in even if I try." Hana grumbled to herself. Turning to Kiyo, she shoved the lacrima into the girl's arms. "Kiyo, I'm going to distract him. As soon as I get him away from the guild hall, you run inside and give that lacrima to whoever you find first, you understand?"

"O-Okay."

Satisfied, Hana raced out from beneath the protection of the vegetable stand and ran down a road heading for the outskirts of the town. Rufus noticed her instantly and immediately flew after her, his large white wings glistening in the sunlight. Once she was certain that he was gone, Kiyo sprinted towards the guild and through the grand wooden doors. Scanning the room, her eyes landed on Freed, Laxus, Bickslow, and Evergreen. Evergreen seemed to be scolding Freed for something while he stared blankly at the counter in front of him. Meanwhile, Laxus and Bickslow were watching the scene unfold, obviously not wanting to get involved. As she ran towards them, the redhead's ears soon picked out their conversation from the rest of the noise in the guild.

"-I can't believe you said that to her! What were you thinking, Freed?! 'I hope you two are happy together.' What kind of douchebag move is that?" Evergreen screeched angrily.

"You can stop yelling at me, Ever. I already feel bad enough." Freed sighed, his eyes full of regret.

"I will not stop yelling! This kind of behavior is completely unacceptable, as well as completely out of character. What is going on with you, Freed?"

Freed began to respond but stopped when noticed Kiyo scampering towards them, her eyes wide with fear. Laxus saw her as well, his brows furrowing with worry.

"Kiyo, what's wrong?" He asked, placing a hand on her shoulder and looking her in the eyes.

"I-I don't know. I bumped into Hana while I was out exploring and she was running away from Rufus. She begged me to give this lacrima to whoever I ran into first then took off again." Kiyo explained as best she could while holding out the orb. 

Frowning suspiciously, Laxus took the lacrima from the girl and held it where all four members of the Thunder God Tribe and Kiyo could see it. When he tapped of the side of the crystal orb, a little hologram appeared floating above it. The image was of Hana and Rufus as they made their way through town.

"This must be the video Hermes took of them. Why didn't he give it to me himself though?" Kiyo thought.

As the video progressed, it showed the two entering the tavern and then the private room. Evergreen noticed Freed's eyes narrow when Rufus pulled Hana into his lap.

"You need to quit Fairy Tail and join Sabertooth." The recording repeated.

Bickslow stared at the lacrima in shock. "He did not just say that."

"He did! He did!" The mage's dolls insisted.

The group watched with growing resentment as Rufus tried to persuade Hana to leave them, and gasps rose from Evergreen and Kiyo when he roughly shoved the Dragon Queen to the floor. Freed angrily clenched his jaw as he and Laxus both started to growl.

"Have you really not gotten it through your thick skull yet? I OWN you, Hana. As long as I can erase your memories, you are no more than a puppet on a string. You belong to me, and you must do as I say." 

Bickslow's jaw dropped. "Did he just say what I think he said?"

"How dare he blackmail her with something like that?" Laxus snarled, the lacrima cracking slightly in his hands from his tight grip.

The group watched the scene continue to unfold. Freed's hands curled into fists as Hana squirmed helplessly in Rufus' grasp.

Suddenly, the loud beep that had given Hermes away repeated in the recording.

"Crap. It's almost out of storage!" the god mumbled. A second later, he was pinned down by Rufus' spell. The group watched as Rufus picked up the lacrima and Skylar tackled him before the video ended with him rendering her unconscious. Kiyo stared in horror at the frozen image of Skylar's limp body.

"How dare he! How dare he!!! That bastard is in for it! When I get my hands on him, he's going to regret being born!" Laxus hissed. Handing the lacrima back to Kiyo, he spoke to her in a stern voice, "I need you to show this to Sting, Natsu, Gray, and anyone else you think will be helpful. After that, you are to stay in here and not come out no matter what you hear."

"B-But I want to help!" Kiyo protested.

"Kiyo, I don't know how well the others are going to be able to restrain themselves after they learn of this news. I just don't want you to accidentally get in someone's way and wind up hurt."

"But-"

"Please, Kiyo. Just do it." Rising to his feet, Laxus turned to his entourage and frowned when he realized someone was missing. "Where's Freed?"

Bickslow and Evergreen spun around and realized their green-haired companion had disappeared.

"He must have already left." Bickslow stated. 

"Laxus, Freed has been acting more and more like his old self. You...You don't think he'll try to kill Rufus, do you?" Evergreen worried.

Laxus and Bickslow grew eerily silent. It was true that Freed seemed to be reverting to his old ways, the cold, ruthless version of himself that had turned on his fellow members of Fairy Tail without a second thought. The thought of that side of him resurfacing sent a chill down his friends' spines.

"We need to find him. If he gets to Rufus first, he might do something he'll regret." Laxus stated.

"Wait, how will I know where to send the others after you?" Kiyo asked.

"That's easy. Just tell them to follow the path of chaos!" Bickslow smiled.

Laxus and Evergreen glared daggers at the blue-haired mage.

"What? Too soon?"

\-----------------------

Panting heavily as her heartbeat raced, Hana ran towards the outskirts of town. She could see the woods reaching out to her from where the cobblestone ended; it was just outside of her grasp. As she scampered towards the outstretched limbs of foliage, however, a mighty gust of wind ripped through the air as Rufus landed in front of her, smirking sinisterly. Hana skidded to a halt and tried to flee the other way, but Rufus hastily grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her to him.

"My my, you are quite the troublemaker, my dear. While I'll admit that I've enjoyed this round of cat and mouse, it is time for our game to end. Hand over the lacrima and I promise I won't punish you." he hissed in her ear, his hot breath against her skin greatly contrasting the iciness of his tone.

"I...I can't. I dropped it while I was running." Hana lied, squirming in Rufus' grasp.

"You what?! Where did you drop it?!"

"I..I don't know."

"Liar!" Rufus growled, momentarily losing his composure. Angry, the mage tightened his grip on the dragonslayer. "I'll ask you again. Where did you drop the lacrima?"

Hana whimpered in pain as Rufus' nails dug into her skin. "I said I don't know!"

Rufus' expression darkened.

"Fine, you leave me no choice then. While I hate the thought of all my efforts to woo you being erased along with the rest of your mind, it is a necessary cost. Close your eyes and try not to move. I'll make this as painless as possible." he stated before grabbing Hana's chin and holding her in place as he started to lean in.

Hana desperately beat her fist against Rufus' chest, squirming as much as possible despite his orders. "Let me go! Let me go!"

"I told you not to squirm!" Rufus snapped, swinging back and delivering a strong punch right to the Dragon Queen stomach. Hana yelped in pain and wrapped her arms around her throbbing abdomen.

"Try not to throw up in my mouth please." Rufus stated flatly and pulled her lips towards his.

"DARK ECRITURE: DESTRUCTION!!!"

Before his lips could brush against his victim, Rufus was knocked back as a stinging pain erupted from his abdomen. As he skidded back several feet, a mop of familiar neon green locks caught the blonde's eye.

"Well well well, look who finally figured things out. It certainly took you long enough; I thought you were supposed to be smart, Freed." he sneered.

Freed said nothing as he glared murderously at the blonde. Rufus' smiled wavered slightly under his gaze.

"His magical aura....it's different now. It's much colder and far more hostile. Does he plan to kill me? Ha, I'd like to see him try."

"What's the matter, Freed? Are you too terrified to speak?" he sang tauntingly.

Hana stared up at her friend with wide eyes. "Something's wrong. His aura is tainted with rage and bloodlust. Is this really the same Freed I've come to know and love?"

"Well, are you going to say anything or are you just going to stand there-" Rufus teased when Freed suddenly sprinted forward and slashed at the blonde's face with his sword. Rufus yelped in surprise and stumbled back, blood dripping from the fresh gash on his cheek.

"How dare you. How dare you! How dare you put the woman I love through so much suffering! I cannot forgive such a sin! I hope you are prepared to die, Rufus, because I am not holding back. You shall be repaid for your cruelty in full!!!" Freed snarled, trembling with rage.

A smirk danced onto Rufus' lips. "Is that so? How are you going to do that when I can erase your memory with a single touch?" 

"Just try it; I dare you. I'll rip you to shreds!" Freed barked.

"As if you could hurt me. Don't you remember the Grand Magic Games? I can copy the magic of those around me, rendering completely-"

Rufus was cut off as Freed embedded his fist into the mage's face.

"You should monologue less during a fight; it leaves you wide open. Also, if my memory serves me correctly, you were defeated by Gray in the Grand Magic Games." Freed stated.

Growling, Rufus leaped to his feet. "Now you've upset me. You'll regret that. Memo-"

"Dark Ecriture: Pain!" Freed shouted, and in the blink of an eye, Rufus' body was coated in runes from head to toe. The blonde screamed in agony as the little characters all started stinging him at once, overwhelming his nervous system and far surpassing his pain tolerance.

Hana trembled with fear as she watched the fight. "Freed..."

As the spell wore off, Rufus fell to his knees, shaking.

"Is that...all you've got?" he spat as drops of blood spilled from his lips.

"Hardly. I'm just getting started. Dark Ecriture: Suffering!" Freed chanted.

Again, the runes covered Rufus body, this time stinging him with gen times the force from before.

"Freed, stop! You'll kill him!" Laxus' voice suddenly cried.

Freed's gaze immediately snapped away from Rufus to see his leader standing behind him. "Laxus..."

"Freed, you're starting to slip. As your friend, I don't want to see you going back to your old ways. I know you're angry, but murder isn't the answer. Please, don't kill him."

For a brief moment, Freed's toxic aura lessened as his hard expression started to soften. However, Rufus took this hesitation as an opportunity to attack.

"Memory-Make: Shrine of Turbulent Fang!" he shouted.

"Freed, look out!" Hana cried as several whirlwinds materialized out of thin air.

Freed grunted in surprise as he was suddenly knocked onto his back by the attack. When the dust settled, Rufus was looming over him, a cruel smile on his lips. Pinning the fairy to the ground with his boot, he knelt down and held his hand above the mage's forehead.

"Don't worry. This won't hurt...much." he sneered. However, as he lowered his palm to touch the green-haired mage's skin, he screamed in pain and backed away, burn marks covering his hand. "What?!"

"I told you trying to erase my memories is pointless." Freed stated as he rose to his feet. Brushing aside his long bangs, he revealed several runes he had drawn on his cheek. "This is protecting me from your memory-stealing abilities. They can only be erased by me, and even if you do copy my magic, rewriting them will take more time than you have left to live."

Rufus clenched his jaw angrily. "I've had enough of you. Memory-Make: A Night of Falling Stars!"

As the sky overhead turned dark, dozens of beams of bright light shot down towards Freed.

"Dark Ecriture: Dark-" Freed's voice was drowned out by the massive boom of the first attack as it collided with the ground by his feet. Clouds of dust sprang into the air, obscuring everyone's vision. Rufus' eyes sparkled as beam after beam struck the spot where Freed stood. However, as the air cleared, his heart stopped. Standing in Freed's place was a hulking mass of gray skin and navy fur. From beneath the beast's mane of green hair, two sharp horns curled upwards from the side of his face. His ears narrowed into points at the end, and his mouth was full of sharp, needle-like  fangs. Around one eye that had turned a purplish-black was a coating of scales that shimmered like the chainmail of a night's armor, and two shimmering wings of dark magic unfurled from his back.

"You shouldn't have done that." Freed growled, his voice several octaves deeper from the transformation.

Rufus shook and took a step back.

"You-You're a monster." he whimpered.

The beast's gray lips curled into a sneer. "That's funny; I've heard the same thing about you."

With a single flap of his wings, Freed shot straight towards Rufus and grabbed the mage by the neck before he could react. Soaring high into the air, he watched in amusement as the blonde squirmed helplessly in his grasp, his face turning blue as he struggled to breathe. The mags did his best to mutter a spell, but all that left his mouth was loud wheezing.

"What's the matter? Fairy got your tongue?" Freed taunted.

As his head started to feel light, Rufus beat on Freed's hand with what little strength he could muster.

"You want me to let you go? Alright." the beast stated and dropped Rufus, letting him free fall, through the air.

As his head started to clear, Rufus realized his situation and hastily searched his mind for the spell he had used before. "Memory-Make-"

At the speed of a bullet, Freed flew down and slammed Rufus into a collection of bushes lining the edge of the woods. The blonde groaned in pain and didn't get back up.

"I hope you remember this lesson in purgatory, although then it won't really matter. Goodbye, Rufus." Freed hissed, looming over him. As he swung back, a ball of energy formed in the palm of his hand. "Darkness Flare Bo-"

"Freed, stop!!!" Hana cried, racing towards Rufus and placing herself between him and Freed.

Rufus smiled weakly. "So you really do care about me-"

One glare from the Dragon Queen shut him up instantly. Turning back to her monstrous friend, her gazed up with him pleadingly.

"Freed, please don't do this. I know you're upset and I'm touched by your intense desire to protect me. However, murder changes people, and I don't want you selling your heart to that kind of life. Please Freed, change back. This isn't like you; you're scaring me."

"I'm...scaring her? She's afraid of me?" 

As the woman's words sank in, Freed's rage faded away, replaced by regret.

"What am I doing? I swore after the Battle of Fairy Tail that I would never behave so ruthlessly ever again, yet here I am attempting to take another man's life without a second thought. I thought this side of me died after my fight with Mirajane. I can't believe that despite my best efforts, I lost control again, and in front of Hana of all people. I can't face her now, not after she has seen this side of me. I-I can't forgive myself for this."

Seeing the distress in her friend's eyes, Hana slowly crept towards him, her hand outstretched. "Freed, it's okay. Everything is going to be okay."

"Don't touch me!" Freed exclaimed, flinching away from her. Spinning on his heels, he propelled himself forward with his wings and disappeared into the woods at a speed no human could ever catch up with. 

"Freed, wait!" Hana cried but by then he was already gone. A sad sigh left her lips.

"HANA!!!" 

Spinning around, Hana was practically knocked to the ground as Natsu tackled her into a hug.

"Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?" he gushed as he began exclaiming her from head to toe. Noticing Rufus, he growled angrily and stepped in front of her protectively. "Bastard, I'm going to hit you so hard you'll go flying till you reach the other side of the world!"

Sting and Wendy ran up next, followed by Laxus. 

"Hana-san!" Wendy wailed, wrapping her friend in a tight hug and burying her face into her shirt.

Sting shot Rufus a disapproving scowl.

"We'll talk about this later." he hissed. Turning to his queen, his expression shifted to one of concern. "I'm so sorry about this. I won't let Rufus off easy for this. He'll be lucky if we don't suspend him."

"Thank you." Hana said half-heartedly. Laxus already knew what was on her mind.

"Go after him. We'll handle things here." he said.

Hana flashed him an appreciative smile and hastily took of into the woods after Freed. As soon as she disappeared from sight, all eyes fell on Rufus. What were they going to do with him?

((Okay, this last scene was so fun to write! I've been looking forward to have Rufus get what was coming to him since I decided on the plot for this book. However, we're not done yet. There are still many issues to be solved before we proceed onto the next book ;) ))


	15. Chapter 15

"Freed! Freed! Where are you?!" Hana called as she careful picked her way through the underbrush of the woods, pushing aside vines and branches as she walked. So far, she had been out searching for an hour but with little success. It was obvious that Freed did not want to be found.

Tilting her head back, Hana sniffed at the air for the umpteenth time and received the same results once again: a faint whiff of Freed's scent drowned out by the musks and scents of all the other plants and creatures in the forest. 

"He must be using a rune to hide his scent, the sly bastard. Ugh, of all the places he could have chosen to hide, why did he have to pick a place with so much green? He could be right under my nose and I still wouldn't be able to find he because he would blend right in. Ugh, where is he?"

"Freed! Please answer me!!!" the Dragon Queen shouted once more only to be met by silence. With a sigh, she started to turn around but stopped.

"No. I can't leave him out here. Even if it takes me till dusk, I need to find him."

Spinning back around, she continued to march with determination through the thick foliage, and before long, she came to a clearing. Wildflowers over every kind dotted the grass and a crystal blue waterfall gushed down a cliff towards the back, and sitting by the pool beneath the waterfall, peering down at his reflection in the water, was Freed Justine.

"Freed!!!" Hana exclaimed as a wave of fresh energy hit her, sending her scampering towards her friend.

Freed's head immediately snapped up when he heard his name, and his eyes widened in horror when he saw Hana racing at him.

"No! Hana, stay back! Don't come any closer! I don't know if he'll come out again! Please, stay away! I don't want to-" he exclaimed, taking several steps back, but he was cut off by the dragonslayer enveloping him in a tight hug.

"You're alright. Thank goodness." she breathed, burying her face into his jacket and inhaling her scent.

"Hana, let me go. I don't want you getting hurt by that monster inside me. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if that happened. Please get away from me." Freed whimpered, squirming in her grasp.

"Not a chance. I don't care if I'm at risk; I'm not letting you go." Hana stated, tightening her grip on the mage.

Tears sprang to Freed's eyes as he gazed down at the woman hugging him, her face mirroring complete trust and content.

"How can you stand to be near me after what I did? How are you not afraid of the monster I became?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I'm more afraid of losing you than I am of him." she answered, looking him in the eyes.

"B-But you saw my dark side. You watched me lose control. I...I don't understand..."

"Everyone has a part of themselves they keep under lock and key, Freed. However, when you really love someone, you can look past their flaws and see the good in them too."

Freed's heart immediately stopped then jump started again beating at a hundred miles per hour. Had she just said what he thought she said?

Hana's lips curved into a frown when she noticed Freed's shocked expression. "Freed? What's wrong-"

"Say that again."

"What?"

"Say what just said again. I wed to hear it once more to believe it."

Hana smiled softly. "I said I love you, Freed Justine."

Freed's lips curved into a huge Cheshire grin as he wrapped his arms around the dragonslayer as well and buried his face into her hair. "She likes me too! I don't believe it! This is too good to be true."

As she hugged Freed, Hana realized how close their faces were. Her cheeks turned a cherry red color as an idea popped into her head.

"Should I try it? I won't seem too bold, will I? I don't want to scare him off...Gah, just do it, Hana!"

In one swift motion, Hana pressed a gentle kiss to Freed's cheek. The green-haired mage immediately stiffened, surprised by the gesture. However, before the Dragon Queen could pull away from him, he grabbed her face and gently pressed his lips to her own. 

Hana was caught off guard by the sweet, tender nature of the kiss, but as her lips moved in sync with Freed's, she melted like butter in his arms. Although this kiss was much gentler than Rufus', it was no less passionate. Hana could sense the amount of wholehearted love behind her crush's lips, and it made her heart beat louder than thunder.

In utter ecstasy, Freed began to lean back, pulling Hana with him. However, by the time he remember where they were and what was behind him, it was too late. With a squeal, the couple lost their balance and plummeted into the icy water of the stream. When they both came back up, they looked at each other and then began to laugh. After climbing back onto the grassy bank, the two flopped down tiredly onto the ground, grinning like idiots as they cuddled against one another.

"So, are we a thing now or what?" Hana purred as she rested her head against Freed's chest, listening to his heartbeat.

Freed stared blankly at the sky above, the dragonslayer's body heat warming his cold muscles as she snuggled against him. "I would like that more than anything, but...I can't help worrying about that side of me getting out again..."

Hana chuckled and raised herself up onto her elbows, smiling up at the greenette. "Then let me help you make sure that doesn't happen. Please Freed, I don't want us to be kept apart any longer. Just let me in; I'm not afraid of you." 

"Hana...please be mine and only mine." Freed whispered as he sat up and caressed the dragonslayer's cheek lovingly.

"Gladly." she replied, leaning in and joining her lips with his in sweet bliss once more, an action which was met with a moan of approval from her new boyfriend. However, she quickly pulled away, much to Freed's annoyance, as she remembered something important.

"Freed...I have to tell you something."

"What is it?"

"Well, remember the day I did poorly on that pop quiz you gave me?"

"I told you not to worry about that."

"I know, I know, it's just...Rufus messed with my memories to make me do badly on the quiz so he could 'tutor' me. He was really just helping me cheat by transferring his memories of the book over to me. I'm sorry; please don't be mad..."

Freed glanced down at the dragonslayer as she hung her head, ashamed, and smiled at her lovingly. "I'm not mad at you. Rufus took advantage of you when you were vulnerable; if I should be mad at anyone, it's him."

"But I'm still the one who cheated-"

"But you confessed, and I forgive you. Don't worry about it, my queen."

"....Am I going to have to take those tests over again though?"

"Maybe."

"Freed!!!"

\------------------

"Hana! Freed! You're back!"

All eyes turned as the missing fairies as they walked hand in hand through the front door of the guild. Immediately, they were swarmed by dozens of people, all of them asking a thousand questions at once. Feeling a little overwhelmed, Hana took a step back but she was quickly wrapped in the comfort of Freed's gentle embrace as he slipped his arm around her waist.

"Hey, back off! Give them a little space." Laxus shouted over the noise of the crowd as he pushed his way through it, followed by Evergreen, Kiyo, and Bickslow.

"Hana!!!" Kiyo exclaimed, racing to her friend's side and wrapping her arms around her. "I'm so glad you're okay! And Freed too! I'm so happy both of you are back!"

When she noticed Freed's arm around Hana's waist and the new sparkle in their eyes, a knowing smirk graced Evergreen's lips.

"It would seem somebody finally made the first move. Who was it?" she purred.

Freed and Hana both shared a glance then look away from one another, blushing. 

"She did." Freed finally mumbled.

Kiyo's eyes lit up like stars. "You mean you two are together?"

Hana nodded slowly. Smiling from ear to ear, Bickslow gave a wolf whistle of approval.

"Alright! It's about time you two paired up. Mirajane is going to be so upset she missed this!" he said with a smile.

"Good thing I didn't miss it then." 

"Mira?" Hana's jaw dropped as she spun around to see the Fairy Tail barmaid standing behind her. She wasn't alone either.

"Hey Freed, you better treat her well or else ya gotta answer to us." Gajeel smirked.

"Levy? Gajeel? Pantherlily?! What are you guys doing here?"

"Lily was worried about his baby sister, so he begged me to bring him here so he could check on her."

"I-I did no such thing." Pantherlily sputtered, blushing as he folded his arms across his chest.

Hana's face fell at the mention of her Exceed's name. "Pantherlily, I have to tell you something. Skylar-"

"Is right here."

"Skylar? Skylar!!!" Hana cried, scooping the feline into her arms and hugging her with all her might, tears streaming down her cheeks. 

"Hana...can't breathe...." Skylar wheezed, squirming in her partner's grasp.

"Darling, don't strangle the poor cat." Freed chastised his girlfriend softly, chuckling to himself.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was just so worried......I thought Rufus wiped your memory of me completely...."

"He did, but Sting made him return it."

"I don't I've ever seen Sting so angry before. He looked ready to rip Rufus to pieces." Natsu mused.

Freed's eyes narrowed and he scanned the room while keeping a protective hold on Hana. "Where is Rufus?"

"I sent him home for the night. As of right now, he's on probation and can't go on any jobs." Sting stated as he made his way towards the two before bowing humbly in front of them. "I apologize deeply for what happened, my queen. Please do forgive me." 

Hana flashed Sting an appreciative smile. "It's not your fault. How's Rogue?"

"Doing better. He's awake if joy want to go speak with him."

"No, I'll let him rest. Sierra, how's Hermes?"

"Fine. He left shortly after making sure Skylar was okay. However, he wanted another three days added to his vacation as payment and said Kiyo had to fill in for him since she used her 'vile cuteness sorcery' to make him do something he didn't want to." Sierra chuckled.

"Oh, so you're the one who sent Hermes to spy on me?" Hana smirked, glancing down at Kiyo.

"O-Of course not! W-Why would I do that? I don't have a death wish." Kiyo stuttered, slowly inching away from the Dragon Queen before quickly dashing behind Laxus for protection.

"You didn't? Too bad. I was going to thank you for saving me and giving me the chance to confess to Freed - that is, after I beat your arse for being nosy doing something super risky that could've gotten you into a lot of trouble."

Kiyo's eyes narrowed. "So do you love me or do you hate me? Make up your mind!"

Hana started a laugh, a sound that caused Freed's heartbeat to go wild. Even though it had only be a few days, it felt like an eternity had passed since the last time she made such merry sound. 

"Easy, Freed. Remember to breathe." Bickslow teased his friend, earning a death glare from him.

As the last of the weight on her shoulders disappeared, Hana's exhaustion hit her like a mighty wave. Against her will, she started to yawn, which Freed quickly noticed.

"Why don't you go take a nap? You've had a long past few days and deserve some rest." he cooed lovingly. "Evergreen, will you take her to her room and watch over her for me?"

"I would much rather not, but given that I want all the juicy details about what happened, I guess I'll do it." Evergreen smiled, linking arms with Hana.

"But Freed, I still need to help protect Sierra, Lucy, and Yukino! I don't have time to rest!" Hana protested.

"I'll fill in for you. Please Hana, get some sleep and allow yourself to recover, for my sake." Freed pleaded, gazing at his girlfriend with caring eyes. Unable to resist him, Hana sighed in surrender and allowed Evergreen to drag her away, Skylar still wrapped in her arms.

As soon as the three were gone, Freed turned to Mirajane with a frown on his face. "Gajeel, Lily, and Levy could've come themselves if they wanted to check on Skylar. Why are you here, Mira?"

Mirajane's smile faltered. "Well, Master Markarov wanted me to come ask why he got an enormous bill mailed to him by Sting demanding he pay at least half of it and...discuss with whoever is responsible the consequences for their actions..."

Sting and Natsu shuddered at the barmaid's icy tone.

"He did it!" Sting said quickly, pointing at Natsu.

"What?! You're responsible for what happened too, you coward!" Natsu snapped.

"So, I need to talk to both of you?" Mirajane asked as her body started emitting a dark aura.

The two dragonslayers immediately started to shake, terrified for their lives.

"H-Hey Sting, w-wasn't Laxus technically the leader of the mission?" Natsu whimpered.

"Y-Yeah. W-Why?"

"D-Doesn't that mean h-he's responsible for what happened."

"Y-Yeah! Yeah it does!"

"IT WAS LAXUS' FAULT!!!" Both Sting and Natsu shouted before bolting past Mira and heading straight for the door. Unfortunately, a certain redhead saw them coming and hastily grabbed the collars of their jackets.

"Oh no you don't! You two are not blaming Laxus and just running off so he can clean up the mess you made." Ezra barked as she dragged them back to the center of the room.

As Mirajane cracked her knuckles, the two dragonslayers whimpered in fright. However, before the Take-Over mage could lay a finger on the boys, Sierra suddenly stepped between them, surprising everyone.

The barmaid raised a questioning eyebrow. "What are you doing, Sierra?"

"I'm the one who sent them to the library in the first place so I'm just as responsible for what happened as they are. It wouldn't be fair to them if I do not share in the punishment." the blonde stated firmly, a determined sparkle in her eye.

Natsu and Sting both sighed in relief and hugged Sierra's legs like children. "You hear that, Mira? Sierra's taking responsibility for this! That means we're off the hook, right?" 

"Natsu! How shallow are you?! She offered to take some of the blame off if you and you just threw her under the bus!" Lucy scolded the pyrokinetic.

"Sting did it too!" Natsu protested.

"That's not the point! Ugh, you are so immature!" she exclaimed in annoyance before stomping over to Sierra's side with a huff. "Mira, I'm just as responsible for the damage to the library as Sierra is, so if you're going to punish her then I should be punished as well."

Yukino bit her lip and timidly stepped forward as well. "I also share in the blame for this disaster. The three of us asked together if the dragonslayers would run this errand for us-"

"Although we expected them to be able to control themselves." Lucy grumbled.

"-so we should receive the consequences together as well." Yukino finished, although she looked rather scared.

Together, the three girls stood shoulder to shoulder facing The Demon of Fairy Tail herself.

"You know that this means you five are responsible for paying off the bill for the library damages, right?" Mira stared sternly.

The three girls nodded while Natsu and Sting feverishly shook their heads.

As he watched his girlfriend and master stand before Mirajane, Loke felt a pang of guilt in his stomach. Slowly, he took a step forward. "Mira-"

"Let me guess, you feel responsible as well since all this was initially done in an attempt to protect you so you wish to share in the financial burden as well?" the barmaid snapped.

Loke was momentarily taken aback by her words, but he quickly nodded before striding over to Sierra and wrapping his arms protectively around her waist and burying his face affectionately into her. Although it had not been his original intention, what Mirajane said made sense to him and he hated sitting back and not doing anything while others risked their lives for him. Now he could at least repay them somewhat for their kindness.

"Does anyone else feel moved to step forward and save these dragonslayers from the punishment they sorely deserve?" the barmaid asked sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

The entire room grew deathly silent, but after a moment, Orion emerged from the crowd.

"It was a rhetorical question." Mirajane grumbled, irritated.

"I know. However, I think I have a solution. With only five people raising money, that bill will take an eternity to pay off. However, if we were to all pitch in, the bill should be paid off in mere months." the spirit stated.

"Orion...that's brilliant!" Yukino praised, completely oblivious to the dirty look Sting was giving the hunter.

"It is a clever idea but there is one fault. Who would be willing to help pay the fine for a crime they didn't commit?" Mirajane mused.

Again, awkward silence blanketed the guild, and Yukino's hear fell. However, a moment later, a lone hand shot forth from the masses.

"I will." Laxus stated calmly.

Mirajane couldn't help but smile at Laxus' selfless actions. In the corner of her eye, she saw four other hands go up as well. Freed, Bickslow, Evergreen, and Kiyo held their hands up proudly as everyone turned to stare at them.

"If Laxus is helping, then we are too. Besides, we're family, and family helps out family when they're in trouble, right?" Bickslow said with a grin.

A great murmur rippled throughout the guild. Slowly, more and more hands shot into the air until every hand in the lobby was raised. Tears sprang to Yukino's eyes, her heart moved by the selflessness of her friends comrades. Sting noticed and quickly snatched a napkin off of a nearby table, handing it to her.

"Thank you." she said as she dabbed her eyes.

Mirajane smiled fondly at the crowd. "Then its settled. We'll pay off the debt together."

"Yay! I'm saved!" Natsu cheered.

"This is a one time deal, Flamebrain. I'm not saving your arse every time you blow something up." Gray snapped.

Laughter filled the room, washing away the remaining tension in the air. Grabbing the the satchel she had brought with her, Mirajane turned to Gajeel, Pantherlily, and Levy.

"I'm going to head back to the guild and tell Master the good news. Are you three coming?"

"Nah, it has been awhile since I've seen these freaks so Lily and I will hang here for a day or two." Gajeel grinned.

Levy sighed. "I guess that means I should stay as well to make sure nothing else gets obliterated."

"Very well. I'll see you two later then."

Before heading towards the hall's exit, Mirajane slipped over to Laxus and grabbed his hand. The lightning dragonslayer immediately glanced down at the barmaid and raised a questioning eyebrow.

"I need to talk to you and Ezra for a moment. Can you grab her and then meet me outside?" she asked.

Laxus nodded and the two broke apart. Heading outside, Mirajane waited patiently underneath a nearby tree and before long, Laxus and Ezra emerged from the building.

"Is something that matter, Mira?" Ezra asked as she joined her comrade under the shade of the oak.

Mirajane's face grew grim. "Have there been any attacks against Sabertooth yet?"

"None so far. Why?"

"Well, Master Markarov has been thinking, and he has theorized that the sphinx might have been bluffing when she claimed Yukino was in danger."

Laxus' lips curved into a deep frown. "Why would she do that?" 

"Well, excluding Gajeel since he just came today, us joining forces means five dragonslayers have all been kept in one place. Given that dragons are somewhat territorial and prone to squabbles, a smackdown was inevitable. Perhaps that's exactly what The Collector wanted." Mirajane stated cryptically.

"So you're saying that we were set up?"

"That's what the master thinks."

"But why? What's the point to make us fight amongst ourselves?"

"I don't know, but Markarov requested that I also tell you he feels you should return to the guild for the time being."

Laxus grew silent as he recalled Sephora's face when she had told Prince about the plans to attack Yukino. She had seemed extremely sincere to him, but at the same time, she was still serving under the enemy. As much as he hated to admit it, she could have been lying. However, she could've been telling the truth as well.

"Tell him to give us one more day, Mira. We need to be absolutely certain Yukino is safe before we leave. If nothing happens, we'll return tomorrow night." he said, earning a nod of approval from Erza.

"Very well. Please be careful." Mirajane said, her tone shifting to one of worry.

Laxus smirked at her. "You're worried about me? I'm flattered."

Mirajane rolled her eyes, but a faint pink tint dusted her fair cheeks. "Don't be. I worry about all my comrades. I should go now; it would be rude to keep Master Markarov waiting. Stay out of trouble please. We don't need anyone else in the infirmary."

A sincere smile graced Laxus' lips. "Understood. Take care, Mira."

As the barmaid hurried off, Laxus noticed Erza had a large, mischievous grin plastered across her face.

"What are you so happy about?" 

"Nothing." the redhead purred, her eyes sparkling. "We should get back inside before a fight breaks out in our absence."

Laxus raised an eyebrow as Erza literally skipped back into the guild, but given that he valued his life, he decided not to say anything.

\---------------------

Kronos smirked fondly down at the book in his hands. Unlike the one Eris had found, it was bound in silver with golden lettering. He had "borrowed" it from a peddler a few years before, but before he could return it, the man was mysteriously found dead in the middle of the woods. The titan had reread the book from cover to cover numerous times, memorizing the text to the t and its instructions. It was this book that had told him of Liberty's second special spell and restored his hope for a better life than serving under greedy human after greedy human for all eternity. Turning to the fireplace, he ran his fingers over the cool cover once more then tossed it into the hungry flames, which were already eating away at its golden brother.

"I'm fortunate to have a woman like Eris by my side, but I cannot allow such an incident to occur again. Some of the master's spirits still fear him enough to snitch, and if they read those books, my plan would be doomed. True, it is risky to burn the only remaining copies of these books in Fiore, but I have no need to worry. The fairies and tigers have no idea that they are playing right into my hands, and before long, the first phase of my plan will be complete."

Suddenly, the doors to the library flew open and Echidna ran into, huffing and wheezing. Kronos whirled around angrily and glared at her.

"Don't you know how to knock?" he snapped.

"F-Forgive me, your lordship, but I bring great news! Our source just informed me that the fairies are leaving Sabertooth tomorrow night!" the fat spirit exclaimed.

Kronos smirked. "Are they now? Good, then we attack tonight."

Echidna's jaw dropped. "What? But that doesn't make sense! Shouldn't we wait until they leave?!"

"Are you questioning me, Echidna?" the titan growled, taking a step towards her as the air around him grew deathly cold.

Echidna shuddered and fervently shook her head. "N-No, your lordship. I-I'll go give the order right now!"

Kronos watched the other spirit with keen eyes as she scampered out of the room. Once he was certain she was gone, he allowed a smile to grace his lips again and started to laugh sadistically.

"This is too perfect. Before nightfall tomorrow, I will be free and no one will be able to stop me. The master and the fairies won't even know what hit them."


	16. Chapter 16

As the morning light flooded into Sabertooth's hall through its large windows, the usual buzz of activity filled the air. However, the quiet hum was soon disrupted by a shrill squeal that rose from the lounge area in the guild's far left corner.

"Is something the matter, darling?" Freed cooed in Hana's ear, his warm breath tickling her cocoa skin as he affectionately nuzzled her ear with his nose.

"Yes, something is the matter. I'm trying to get my work done but you keep distracting me!" Hana said, lightly smacking her boyfriend upside the head with the book in her hand. However, he merely chuckled in response and buried his face further into the crook of her neck.

"Is it so wrong to want to show some affection to the love of my life?" he murmured in a sultry voice, sending chills down the dragonslayer's spine.

"No, but you need to work on your timing. Just give me another fifteen minutes to finish this chapter and then I'll snuggle with you." she replied, turning her eyes back to the pages in front of her.

Freed's lips curved into a mischievous smirk. In one swift motion, he snatched the book from Hana's hands and hid it behind his back.

"Freed, give it back!" Hana cried and tried to grab the book from him; however, he held it just outside her reach, taunting her. With an irritated huff, she lunged forward, making a wild grab for the novel, but fell into her boyfriend's lap instead. Immediately, Freed wrapped his free arm tightly around her waist and pulled her to his chest while tossing the book gently onto the coffee table in front of them.

"I don't want to wait any longer; I've been waiting long enough. You can finish your book later. Right now, I am in desperate need of your attention." He said, his eyes gazing into her own. The dragonslayer sighed loudly.

"You're not going to give up, are you? Fine, you win." she said, crossing her arms and pouting. However, she didn't stay upset for long. As Freed ran his lips up her neck, peppering her skin with kisses, a smile graced Hana's lips as she started to giggle.

"Hey, that tickles! Stop it!" she squeaked, squirming in her boyfriend's grasp as she bit her lip to keep from chuckling.

"No." the greenette replied and began running his fingers up and down his girlfriend's side. Hana immediately lost it and began laughing uncontrollably.

"Freed! Knock it off! Bad boyfriend! STAHP!!!" she squealed, tears spilling own her cheeks as she wiggled about wildly.

Freed's lips curved into a gentle smile as his hands stopped on Hana's hips, his fingers gripping them gently. The dragonslayer gasped for air loudly as her heartbeat began to slow back down to a normal rate.

"Jerk." she muttered breathlessly, lightly smacking his chest as she grinned tiredly. Leaning against him, she rested her head against his shoulder and hummed happily as his scent filled her nose. With a sigh, she buried her face into Freed's neck, causing him to blush.

"W-What are you doing? Hey, knock it off!" he stuttered, his face growing redder by the second.

"It's called payback, sweetheart." Hana whispered, her eyes sparkling with mischief as she placed a kiss on his taut skin. A giggle left her lips as she heard him curse under his breath.

"I love you, Freed Justine." she cooed sweetly.

Freed looked down at her, his eyes fixed on her beaming face, and he smiled softly. "I love you too, my fierce little Dragon Queen."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the guild, Sierra sighed sadly as she watched her friend and Freed cuddle.

"What's with the long face?" Loke asked from his seat beside her.

"It's nothing, don't worry about it." she replied, turning to him and flashing him a smile. However, the lion spirit saw right through her mask.

"Sierra, something is bothering you. Tell me what it is." he said firmly, taking her hand in his own and giving it a firm squeeze as he gazed into her eyes.

"I already told you, it's nothing."

"You're lying, If it's nothing then why do you look so sad? Tell me what's wrong."

Sierra sighed again before reluctantly giving into his demands. "I've just been thinking about what Laxus said Mira told him, and the more I linger on it, more I realize she and the master are probably right. The entire time we've been here we've made no progress whatsoever on finding my grandfather or figuring out how to protect you from him, and any time we get close, chaos ensues. This entire mission has been a wild goose chase, a diversion, and I never realized it. I'm such an idiot!"

"You're not an idiot, Sierra; no one else realized it either. You're grandfather has years of experience as a wizard, so he undoubtedly has a couple of tricks up his sleeve. Besides, Master Markarov could be wrong; Yukino could actually still be a target. We have one more day left here to make sure, and even after we leave, I hear Erza and Gray might stay behind for another few days just to be safe. Please stop worrying, my darling; I can't bear to see you robbed of your usual happiness. Smile, if not for yourself then for me." Loke purred, bringing her hand to his face and lightly kissing her knuckles.

"I'm sorry, Leo. I just can't help it. The last thing I want is for you to be taken away from me again, especially by him. It terrifies me to think of what he would do to you, and I fear that if I let down my guard down for even a second that he'll snatch you from my arms and whisk you away forever." Sierra whimpered, tears welling up in her eyes. As she started to sob, Loke pulled her to his chest and stroked her hair comfortingly, ignoring the growing wet spot on his suit jacket as his girlfriend's tears soaked the dark cloth.

"Shh, it's okay, darling. That won't happen, I swear." he whispered softly, placing a gentle kiss on her cheek.

"I didn't want you to see me like this. I wanted to be strong for you because I know how frightening this whole ordeal must be from your perspective, but I'm scared, Leo." Sierra blubbered, burying her face further into his chest.

"Sierra, I would much rather have you break down and cry in front of me than pretend like you're okay when you're really terrified on the inside. As a couple, were supposed to support each other through hard times. How is it that the wedding vows go again? For better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health."

Sierra managed to chuckle softly at his antics. "Leo, we're not married though."

"Not yet, but one day we will be. Nothing and no one will change that, not Artemis or Apollo, not a human or a celestial spirit, and certainly not your grandfather."

"Leo....that was the sweetest yet also the lamest proposal ever. You didn't even get down on one knee." she said, smiling weakly.

The lion spirit laughed and placed a light kiss on her forehead.

"Don't worry, darling; I'll give you a better one after we find your grandfather and end this madness. In the meantime, take this as a promise from me to you that I will stay alive and well until I give you a real proposal." Reaching into his suit pocket, Loke produced one of the magical rings he had worn before getting his celestial powers back and slipped it onto Sierra's finger. It was a tad too large for her and the clunky design wasn't very flattering; nevertheless, as she stared down at the ring, happy tears spilled down Sierra's cheeks. Cupping her boyfriend's face in her hands, she pulled his lips down to her own and kissed them softly. Unfortunately, a certain iron dragonslayer decided to ruin the moment.

"Ugh, first Hana and Freed, and now you two! I swear, I'm gonna have cavities from all this sappy sweetness by the time we get back to Magnolia." Gajeel grumbled, his arms across his chest.

Loke sighed and pulled out of the kiss, shooting a glare at him. "Gajeel, do everyone a favor and shut up."

Gajeel just smirked in return. "Good luck with that, gihee."

Loke's eyes narrowed. Suddenly, he stood up and began to drag Sierra towards the door.

"It's too crowded here; it's making me claustrophobic. Let's go somewhere else." he grunted, causing his girlfriend to giggle. 

As they stepped outside, a cool breeze caressed their bodies, causing Sierra to shiver. Being a gentleman, Loke immediately shed his coat and draped it around her shoulders before tucking her protectively beneath his arm. A smile graced his girlfriend's lips as he guided her down the city's busy streets, his arm never leaving her waist. Suddenly, however, her stomach let out a loud growl, causing her to blush profusely as Loke started chuckling.

"Are you hungry, darling?" he teased, earning a glare from his girlfriend. Scanning the many shops, he noticed a bakery nestled on the nearest street corner. However, as he pulled Sierra towards it, he stopped in the middle of the round when a pungent smell greeted his nose.

Sierra frowned. "Leo, what's the matter-"

Loke heard it before he saw it. Pushing Sierra to the ground, he dropped to the dirt just as a big, green, scaly, and foul-smelling dragon head shot over him, missing his back by mere inches. Unfortunately, the lion spirit did not see the other six heads watching him till one of them snatched him up between its jaws and hurled him against a brick wall.

"Leo!!!" Sierra cried in horror, but when she tried to run to his side, the seven heads surrounded her, snorting plumes of purple smoke.

"Sierra...don't breathe that smoke in! Their breath is toxin!" Loke shouted as he struggled to sit up. He could feel the hydra's poison sapping away his strength. He probably had less than a minute left till he was forced back into the celestial world to recover. Gathering what little strength remained in his body, he aimed for one of the many heads and shot a beam of light at it, disintegrating it and creating an opening. "Run!!!" he ordered before his body disappeared completely.

Sierra immediately sprinted through the opening, taking a deep breath as soon as she was out of the toxic fumes. Not daring to look back, she ran as fast as she could down the street, heading for the guild hall. With an angry roar, the hydra chased after her, snapping maliciously at the girl's heels. Unfortunately, the beast's large size made it hard to squeeze through the narrow streets, therefore slowing it down and giving Sierra the opportunity to get ahead. Before long, the guild hall came into view just as the others were emerging to investigate the ruckus.

"Sierra, what was that noise?" Erza called to her.

"I'll give you one guess." The blonde replied as the hydra emerged from behind a building and gave a terrifying screech before charging after her. With one mighty swipe of its tail, it knocked her legs out from under her, causing her to fall to the ground. However, as the heads swooped down to gobble her up, there was a bright flash followed by someone scooping Sierra into his arms and running with her in his arms. Looking up, the blonde was surprised to see who was carrying her.

"Prince? What are you doing here? I didn't even summon you yet. How did you know I was in trouble?"

"Leo was utterly distraught when he was forced back into the Celestial Spirit realm to recover. He begged me to come protect you in his place." Prince explained. As he ran, the hydra swung its tail in another wide arc, but the lion spirit gracefully leaped over it and continued his sprint till they both were safely beside their friends. 

Meanwhile, a smirk danced onto Natsu's face as he watched the hydra approach. "Hey Sting, hydras are a breed of dragon, right?"

Sting smiled as well, ceremoniously cracking his knuckles. "They are indeed, Natsu. This is going to be fun."

"Wait just a second, you two. Hydras are extremely toxic. We can't just rush in blindly. We have to be careful about how we handle this if we don't want to die a slow, painful death by poison." Hana said sternly. Turning to Freed and Levy, she gave them hopeful looks. "Do you think you two could create some kind of gas mask for us with your magic?"

Both of them nodded. "We'll need a few minutes. Buy us some time with some long distance attacks."

"You heard them! Let that beast have it, Sabertooth!" Sting shouted.

Drawing three of her keys, Sierra held them out in front of her and chanted in a loud voice. "Gate of Wisdom, I open thee! Athena! Gate of the Healer, I open thee! Apollo! Gate of War, I open thee! Ares!"

Immediately, the three spirits appeared alongside Prince, their weapons drawn. However, when Athena and Ares noticed each other's presence, they both glared daggers at the other. Sierra groaned when she noticed.

"Guys, can you please put your rivalry aside for just this once? I need both of you right now." she pleaded.

Neither Athena to Ares said anything as they scowled at one another. With a sigh, Apollo stepped between them, separating them and breaking their eye contact. With a huff, Athena turned to Sierra.

"What do you need from us?" she asked.

"Apollo, Ares, you two focus on keeping that thing at bay with some long distance attacks while Freed and Levy equip the dragonslayer's with the protection they'll need to get closer. Athena, I need strategies and lots of them. Can you handle it?"

"Who do I look like? Aphrodite? Of course, I can handle it." Athena stated firmly. Meanwhile, Apollo drew his bow and nocked an arrow while Ares stared critically down at the many guns that had magically materialized at his feet. Grabbing a sturdy looking sniper rifle, he loaded it and took aim.

"What are you waiting for, boss? You gonna take the first shot or not?" he asked, glancing back at Sierra.

Sierra nodded and her body began radiating a cool white light. "Star Incarnate: Artemis!"

Immediately, Sierra's outfit started to change. Her usual outfit was replaced by a simple white toga with a light grey hem and a skirt that reached her knees. A slim silver belt with a moon-shaped buckle and Artemis' name inscribed in it hugged her waist as silver sandals wrapped around her feet and up her calves. Her hair was drawn back into a high ponytail, leaving her bangs, which were pinned out of her eyes with bobby pins, to frame her face. To finish the modest look, a crossbow materialized in her hand along with a bundle of arrows. Loading one, Sierra took aim and shot at the hydra, but unfortunately her aim was slightly off and she hit the beast's shoulder rather than one of its heads. Ares laughed.

"Nice try, boss; we'll take it from here. Alright everyone, light 'em up!" he exclaimed and sent a bullet sailing into one of the hydra's many eyes. Meanwhile, Apollo released his arrow. As it sailed toward the hydra, it exploded in front of the beast, blinding the beast with its bright light. Numerous magical projectiles were shot at the dragon, angering it further. With a roar of frustration, the middle head shot a plume of fire at the mages, but Natsu gobbled it up in an instant.

"Mmm, I'm all fired up!" He exclaimed, punching the air.

"Natsu, quit squirming!" Freed barked as he struggled to write some runes on the dragonslayer's cheek. He and Levy repeated this process with Laxus, Gajeel, Sting, Wendy, Hana, and their Exceeds, creating gas masks for them to protect them from the hydra's poisonous breath. 

"Please be careful." Freed whispered in Hana's ear as he completed her mask, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"I won't, I promise." she purred in reply.

"Um, minor problem guys. Laxus doesn't have an Exceed to carry him." Bickslow pointed out.

"Fro can do it!" Frosch suddenly exclaimed, catching everyone offguard.

"Uh, heck no. You are not going out there. Rogue would kill me!" Sting stated firmly.

"But this thing hurt Lion Man! Rogue got hurt protecting Lion Man! Now Fro must protect Lion Man in Rogue's place so Rogue didn't get hurt for nothing! Fro must make Rogue proud!"

The group fell silent. With a chuckle, Laxus knelt down so he could look Frosch in the eye. "I'm pretty heavy. Do you think you'll be able to carry me?"

"Fro can carry Laxus-san. Rogue is actually much heavier than he looks."

Gajeel bit back a snort. Meanwhile, Freed gently guided Frosch into his lap and equipped him with a mask as well.

"Alright dragonslayers, here's the game plan. Myself, Natsu, and Gajeel will handle getting up close. Laxus, you, Sting, and Wendy focus on attacking from a little farther away. The way to kill a hydra is to slice off its heads and burn the roots before more can grow back. Think you can handle that?" Hana stated.

"We're dragonslayers, Hana. Of course we can handle it." Natsu said with a grin. As Happy grabbed hold of him, he ran and jumped into the air. "Now lets do this!"

Smirking, the other dragonslayers followed close behind him, flying towards the hydra. Despite his ditzy nature, Frosch was surprisingly graceful and fast in the air, carrying Laxus to a spot just out of the hydra's reach as the other dragonslayers got into position.

"Alright guys, light it up!" Hana commanded and dove toward the middle head. "Iron Dragon's Sword! Roar of the Fire Dragon!"

As Hana severed the first head and burned its root, Natsu and Gajeel hastily followed suit, Gajeel slicing off another head and Natsu burning the stump to prevent regrowth. However, as they worked, the three narrowly dodged the jaws of the seven other heads as they swooped down to devour the dragonslayers.

"Um, a little help would be nice!" Natsu shouted, glaring pointedly at the three other dragonslayers.

"Right. Wendy and I will cut while Laxus burns, deal?" Sting stated. After receiving nods of confirmation from the other two, he brought his hands together and they started to glow. "Holy Ray!"

"Sky Dragon's Wing Attack!" Wendy exclaimed, swinging her arms out in an X-motion.

As blades of light and air severed two of the heads, Laxus drew back his fist, the air around him crackling with static electricity. 

"Roaring Thunder!" he shouted, shooting bolts of lightning at the roots of the severed heads and burning them to a crisp.

With Wendy, Laxus, and Sting handling the more lateral heads, Hana, Gajeel, and Natsu could focus on the more medial ones. Weaving through the air like graceful acrobats, they dove then retreated, dove then retreated, dove then retreated, over and over, attacking one head while another distracted it. Before long, only one, lonely head remained, snapping its jaws fiercely at its opponents. 

"What do you say? Should we take this one down together?" Hana grinned at her companions. 

The other dragonslayers nodded eagerly and took a deep breath.

"ROAR OF THE-"

"- FIRE DRAGON!"

"- IRON DRAGON!"

"- SKY DRAGON!"

"- WHITE DRAGON!"

"- LIGHTNING DRAGON!"

"- DRAGON QUEEN!"

The dragonslayers' roars fused together to become one giant beam of destruction, incinerating the remaining head instantly. As the beast's body collapsed lifelessly, cheers rose from the crowd back at Sabertooth. However, they were quickly silenced as chilling laugh echoed through the air. The hair on the back of Prince's neck stood on end.

"Echidna..." he growled.

"Did you really think it would be that easy, mortals? We've barely gotten started. Feel the wrath of The Collector!" Echidna's voice thundered.

"Hana, look!" Natsu cried, pointing at the hydra's lifeless body as it started to disappear into thin air.

"Crap! The hydra was only the first wave!" Hana realized. Spinning around, she noticed three green and scaly bodies clinging to the roof, peering over the edge down at Sierra. "Sierra, look out!!!"

Just as Medusa, Stheno, and Euryale sprang forth from their hiding place, hissing menacingly, Apollo grabbed Sierra's arm and pulled her out of the way while Athena transformed into her Perseus armor and swung her scythe in a large arc, slicing clean through the sisters' necks. The trio howled in pain before disappearing in a flash of light similar to the hydra. However, as she lowered her scythe, Athena clenched her jaw as her ears detected the steady panting of a small army.

"Athena, what's wrong?" Sierra asked.

"We're surrounded."


	17. Chapter 17

A great tension fell over the mages as Athena's words echoed in their ears. A deep growl escaped Prince's throat as he instinctively stepped closer to Sierra while Apollo shielded her as best he could with his large, white, angel-like wings. Yukino and Lucy instinctively reached for their key rings as, closing her hands around them tightly. All eyes scanned the seemingly vacant horizon, waiting apprehensively for the first attack.

Suddenly, a hissing pink and black blur shot forth from the shadows, heading straight for Lucy. The blonde yelped and hastily pulled out one of her keys but before she could call on the spirit, the creature slammed into her, knocking the air from her lungs as it grabbed her by the waist and leaped high into the air.

"Lucy!" Erza exclaimed.

Lucy tried to pull out one of her keys when something sticky wrapped around her arms, securing her arms to her side. Lucy squirmed about as her captor continued to envelope her in the gluey, rope-like substance till she was completely encased inside a translucent, cocoon-like structure. She could hear her friends calling her name, but their voices were muffled by the odd substance concealing her from the outside world.

"What is this stuff? I feel like I've seen it before but I don't know where. Whatever it is, it's pretty strong." Lucy thought to herself. Thrashing about, she was distressed to find she couldn't do much more than squirm. "I probably have a limited amount of oxygen in here. Ugh, if I could just move my hand ever so slightly..."

Meanwhile, the enemy spirit scurried up the guildhall's walls, carrying Lucy's cocoon on her back. Once she was safely on the roof of the building, the same gooey threads shot from her fingertips, creating a hammock that clung to the roof's overhang into which she gently placed the cocoon. Since she had finally stopped moving, the other wizards could finally make out what the spirit looked like. She would've been quite a beautiful woman if not for the four extra arms protruding from her torso, the giant fangs curling over her perfectly pink lips, and the four pairs of beady black eyes resting on her forehead just above her human-looking pair of red ones.

Athena ground her teeth angrily. "Arachne."

"It's been a long time, hasn't it, Athena?" Arachne hissed as she hovered over Lucy's mummified body, her long, bubblegum pink hair swaying in the breeze.

"You give Lucy back this instant, you foul wench." Erza growled, transforming into her Purgatory armor.

"Why don't you come and take her?" Arachne sneered.

"Gladly." Springing into the air, Erza flew straight toward Lucy's cocoon, sword drawn, but as she drew her arm back and prepared to strike, six giant, neon yellow and green reptilian heads shot from behind Arachne, grabbing hold of her with their jaws and slamming her against the earth. As the redhead swatted at three of the heads, the other three proceeded to snatch her sword and toss it to Arachne then tear the wings of Erza's armor clean off. 

"Erza, hold on! Ice-Make Geyser!" Gray shouted, and a fountain of ice shot from the earth near Erza's feet, knocking the heads back. Angry hisses escaped the beast's throats as it rose to its full height and glared daggers at the pesky ice wizard, but before it could attack, Arachne held out her hand, signaling for the dragon to halt.

"Now, now Scylla, he'll get what's coming to him; they all will. For now, I need you to guard my meal for me." the spider woman purred.

All six of Scylla's heads turned to scowl at Arachne and one of them made a loud chirping sound.

"Me? I've got a score to settle with a particular goddess. Come, my brethren! Attack!" Arachne said, brandishing Erza's sword and leaping off the roof with a mighty war cry. In the blink of an eye, a cavalry of monsters of all shapes and sizes charged at the fairies and tigers from every side, shrieking, screaming, and roaring in reply. Immediately, a chilling sense of fear shot through the group of wizards; however, Athena's expression hardened, her eyes full of determination, and raised her scythe into the air.

"Do not be afraid, my fellow warriors; stand firm. These beasts screech and shout in hopes of intimidating you, a tactic commonly used by an army that is weak in strength and few in number. Victory is on our side, not theirs, and they know it, so they are trying to overwhelm you mentally in hopes of discouraging you. Do not let them win; you are stronger than they are. You have overcome countless obstacles, You have heard them bellow; now let them hear you roar!" she exclaimed.

Encouraged by the goddess' speech, the wizards responded to the monsters' battle cry with their own shouting, their faces beaming with confidence and pride in their guild's strength.

"Louder!" Athena ordered.

The roar doubled in volume.

"Louder!" 

Throwing their fists into the air, the mages gave a mighty scream that resembled the crashing of thunder. The monsters confidence immediately seemed to fade and they slowed to a stop, their eyes wide with fear. Athena's smile grew at the sight.

"Not bad, Athena. Not bad." Ares remarked, trying to hide the fact that he was impressed.

Temporarily dismissing the sense of accomplishment she felt at receiving a compliment from her rival, the goddess began barking instructions at the riled troops, "Alright, listen up. If your magic uses speed, immense strength, weapons, and gravity focus your attacks on the larger, slower, clumsier monsters like the giants and Cyclopes. Ice and snow wizards attack anything reptilian while lightning, wind, archery, and gun wizards take care of anything in the air. The rest of you just pick a target and take it down. Get into groups when you attack; strength lies in number and teamwork. Don't let a single one of them escape!"

Gathering into clumps, the wizards charged at their opponents, and a symphony of wounded grunts, pained screeches, hurried enchantments, and clashing weapons echoed throughout the air. Meanwhile, the dragonslayers fixed their eyes on Scylla, who was dutifully guarding Lucy's cocoon as asked. Natsu's hands curled into fists as he clenched his jaw.

"Lucy...Hold on...."

"Seriously, how stupid are these guys? We defeat their first dragon and they just bring out another one. Let's go, Lector!" Sting grinned and he and his Exceed soared towards the guild.

"Hey, where do you think you're going? The multi-headed ugly is mine!" Natsu shouted as he chased after him.

Suddenly, several giant, golden, and shiny blurs caught Hana's eye as they shot towards the two unsuspecting dragonslayers with the speed of a bullet.

"Natsu! Sting! Look out!" she shouted.

Sting and Natsu looked up just as four of the bizarre birds broke away from the rest of their flock and attacked the two dragonslayers and their winged felines, using their razor-sharp beaks to slash deep cuts across their backs, stomachs, and arms.

"Gah! Natsu, they're too fast. I can't see!" Happy cried as the birds continued their assault. As one flew past, it ripped a hole in one of the cat's wings, making him scream and plummet towards the ground, taking Natsu with him.

"Natsu! Happy!" Sting shouted in horror, diving after them and catching them before they hit the ground.

"All of you, hit the dirt!" Hana exclaimed when she noticed the rest of the flock was circling back around for another strike. As she, Laxus, Wendy, and Gajeel dove towards the ground, the birds folded their wings against their glistening bodies plunged after them, nipping and scratching at their heels. However, as soon as the mages' feet touched the dirt, they soared back into the air, licking the blood from their beaks as they circled overhead.

"Happy-san! Hold still while I heal your wound." Wendy said as Sting set the cat down on the ground before her and she began her healing spell.

"Those birds hurt blue cat. Those birds evil and scary." Frosch whimpered, hiding in Laxus' long coat.

"What the heck are those things? There has to be at least two dozen of them." Laxus said as he watched the creatures swarm.

"They sure ain't parakeets, I can tell you that much." Gajeel replied.

"The real question is, why aren't they attacking us now?" Hana stated. As soon as the dragonslayers were no longer in the air, the birds had let them be, but she could tell they were still being watched.

"What does it matter? Those things hurt Happy so I'm going to roast them alive." Natsu growled, his fists igniting with bright flames.

"Laxus, can I borrow your jacket for a second?" Hana asked randomly, holding out her hand.

Laxus raised a curious eyebrow but obediently removed the garment and placed it in the Dragon Queen's outstretched palm. Rolling the jacket into a ball, she lined her body up with the guild hall, drew back her arm, and threw the cloth ball as hard as she could. The sphere traveled about five feet then, in a mad flurry, several birds swooped down and tore it to shreds. Laxus' lips curved downward into a scowl.

"Sorry, I'll buy you a new one." Hana promised before returning her attention to the sky above. "It would seem these birds are supposed to keep us from reaching the guildhall, probably to protect Scylla."

"Well I'm not scared of no birds. They can either move outta the way or get burned to a crisp! Roar of the Fire Dragon!" Natsu exclaimed, shooting a column of fire into the sky. The birds immediately dashed out of the way before diving towards Natsu, talons outstretched. Hana immediately shoved the dragonslayer flat onto the ground as the dagger-like nails passed mere inches above their heads before the birds returned to the sky.

"Okay, let's not do that again." Hana stated.

"Well we can't just stay here! We need to go save Lucy!" Natsu exclaimed.

"I know that Natsu, and if you would just shut up and stop taking reckless courses of action I might be able to focus and think of a way to get us out of this!" Hana snapped in reply.

Natsu immediately shrank back, mumbling an apology under his breath. Turning her attention back to the threat circling above their heads, Hana clenched her jaw and squinted up at the birds as the gears in her head turned. Glancing at Skylar and Pantherlily, a lightbulb went off in her head.

"Skylar, Lily, can you two shift into your Battle Mode forms for a second?" she said.

The two Exceeds were caught off guard by her request but did as she asked. As they grew in size, several of the birds gave startled squawks, and the flock seemed to back away ever so slightly.

"I knew it. Even if they are the size of small humans or have daggers for talons, birds are still birds and birds are naturally terrified of cats." Hana said, smiling to herself. "Alright slayers, listen up; we're splitting into two groups. Natsu and Sting, you two are going to make a break for it while the rest of us hold these guys off."

Gajeel raised an eyebrow. "You're sending those two? Together? They'll destroy everything within a ten mile radius! Need I remind you of what happened at the Magic Li-"

"Shut up, Gajeel. I didn't ask for your input." Hana barked before turning to Carla and continuing. "Carla, Lector, do you think you can carry Gajeel and I?"

Carla's frown deepened as she scanned Hana from head to toe, running a couple calculations through her head as she tried to guess the woman's weight. "I believe so. Lector?"

"I don't know but I'll try." Lector answered, his cheeks darkening when Skylar shot him an approving smile.

"Alright. Pantherlily, Skylar, you two are going to attack first to send them into a panicked frenzy and then we'll follow suit. Wendy, I want you to take Happy and hide somewhere safe. Natsu, Sting, the minute you two see an opening, run as fast as you can and don't look back. Everyone understand?" Hana stated. When she received nods of confirmation, she returned her gaze to the birds above and began to count down. "Three...two...one...NOW!!!"

With mighty growls, Pantherlily spread their wings and sprang into the air, brandishing their weapons as the flew straight into the center of the flock. Frightened screeching filled the air as the birds dove out of the cats' way, creating a large, feathery donut in the sky. Hana, Laxus, and Gajeel were all carried into the air after them and quickly surrounded the circle.

"Roar of the Lightning Dragon!"

"Roar of the Iron Dragon!"

"Roar of the Earth Dragon!"

The three blasts hit the birds dead on, knocking several out of the sky and sending the others scrambled back towards Skylar and Pantherlily, who were already busy swiping and clawing at the birds in the center of the group.

"Alright, Sting, let's go before those feathered fiends notice us." Natsu stated, grabbing the white dragonslayer by the wrist and dragging him away from the fight.

"Natsu, are you sure they'll be okay? They may be strong but they're severely outnumbered." Sting said as he watched Lector and Gajeel narrowly dodged the claws of several birds, his blood running cold at the sight.

"Since when did you start caring about size and ratios, Sting, and since when has it mattered? We've always fought enemies that seem to be too big, strong, or numerous for us, but has that ever stopped us?" Natsu said in a firm, no nonsense tone.

"...No, no it has not." Sting said, offering his friend a weary smile.

"That's what I thought. Now quit worrying about ratios and crap like that; it isn't like you to think." Natsu grumbled, causing Sting to chuckle.

"So, do we have a plan?"

"Yeah, hit that thing with all we've got and get Lucy away from it as soon as possible."

"I think we need a little more strategy than that."

"Do you have any ideas then?"

Sting's smile changed to a smirk. "Somewhat. You recall when you kept shooting me in the library?"

"You mean when YOU kept shooting ME?"

"I did not...You know what? Forget it; it's not even worth arguing over anymore. As I was saying, I think we should do something similar to take down this dragon."

"You mean attack it when it's not looking. Sting, I don't know if you've noticed but that dragon has SIX HEADS! Sneaking up on it is going to be near to impossible."

"Then we just need to get a little extra help. Besides, I thought you liked a challenge." Sting said with a smirk. As they neared the guild, his eyes scanned the crowd till they landed on Gray. Natsu followed his gaze and clenched his fists when he noticed him as well. 

"Aw heck no! Ice Princess can play with the one-eyed ogres and flaming ladies with the funny mismatched legs. I want to save Lucy without his help."

"Sorry Natsu-san but now isn't the time to be picky! Gray, behind you!" Sting shouted as one of the bizarre she-beasts Natsu had pointed out earlier tried to jump the ice wizard from behind, her fangs glistening in the sunlight. Gray glanced over his shoulder and side-stepped just in time, sending the empusa stumbling. 

"Ice-Make: Hammer!" he chanted, hitting the beast on top of the head for good measure, knocking her unconscious and sending her back to the Celestial Spirit World.

"Thanks." he grunted turning to Sting. "Hey, where are Hana and the others?"

"Somewhere in the midst of that." Sting stated, pointing up at the cloud of Stymphalian birds in the distance. 

"Baka, how could you let Lucy get captured?! I turn my back on her for one minute and she's in trouble again! You're completely useless!" Natsu exclaimed angrily, grabbing hold of Gray by his shoulders and shaking him violently back and forth.

"Hey! Knock it off! It's not like you were of any help whatsoever!" Gray snapped back, shoving the salmon-haired dragonslayer off of him.

"Will you two quit it?! You guys are so immature." Sting stated, rolling his eyes.

"Like you're one to talk!"

"We're wasting time arguing over stupid things! Gray, head inside the guild hall and then go out the very back door. I'll send someone to join you shortly. On my signal, attack one of heads then hide." Sting stated.

"What will the signal be?"

"You'll know it when you see it. Now go!" Sting answered with a wink before dragging Natsu back into the fray with him. Locating Kiyo, he told her the same thing he told Gray and sent her to join him, awaiting the signal. Next, he pulled Sierra and Apollo aside and told them to stand by the corners at the front of the guild hall, staying just out of Scylla's line of sight. Once they were in position, he turned to Natsu with a cocky grin on his face.

"You take the right side and I'll take the left?"

"Sounds good. Don't you dare give the signal till I'm ready!" Natsu stated and ran to his side of the building. Slipping unnoticed passed Scylla and the other creatures, Sting slipped into position beside Sierra.

"Scylla moved at all?" he whispered.

Sierra glanced quickly around the corner of the building. Scylla still sat in the same position she had the entire fight: Lucy's cocoon tucked protectively beneath her front legs as she snarled and snapped at anyone who came too close.

"No, she's still guarding the cocoon. What are you planning to do, Sting?" she replied, turning to him.

"I'm going to be a pest, what else?" Sting said with a mischievous smile before running a short distance away so he could get a clear shot at Scylla. "Hey ugly, over here! Roar of the White Dragon!"

Scylla turned just as Sting's spell slammed into her side, sending her skidding across the roof. Before she could gain her balance, Gray and Kiyo shot arrows of ice and crystal at her, the points sinking into her necks. With an irritated roar, Scylla turned around to face her new attackers only for Natsu to blast her in the side again. As the others repeated their attacks in no particular order, Sierra and Apollo shot at the strands of webbing suspending Lucy's cocoon, severing them. However, as Apollo leaped into the air to grab her, one of the dragon's heads turned and grabbed the cocoon in its jaws with lightning speed. Before he could fly away, another head grabbed Apollo by his wings and threw him to the ground, creating a small crater. Moaning in pain, the spirit began to disappear in a cloud of golden stardust.

"Sorry boss." he mumbled to Sierra before vanishing completely.

Sting cursed loudly. "Sierra, summon another spirit!"

"I can't. I'm almost at the max of my magical power. If I summon anyone else, I'll be completely drained and pass out." Sierra shouted in reply. 

Sting groaned and scanned the crowd one more, but everyone else was busy with another opponent.

"This isn't good. Lucy, get out of there!"

Meanwhile, inside the cocoon, Lucy was starting to feel lightheaded.

"I...I must be running out of oxygen...Am I going to die? I don't want to die yet. If only I could move just a little bit..."

Biting her lip, the blonde tugged once more at her bonds but they refused to budge. Sighing in surrender, she stared blankly at the webbing in front of her as her life seemed to slowly play before her eyes. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she remembered all of her friends and the fun times together. She cried as she remembered when she first met Natsu and Happy and Gray and Erza. She cried as she remembered how many times the guild had risked their lives to save her. She cried as she thought about her spirits, who would be left without a master. Most of all, she cried because she hadn't told the guy she loved how she felt and she would die without him ever knowing. 

"Someone...help me...I don't want to die..." she whimpered aloud softly. 

Suddenly, a loud ripping noise, like someone tearing the world's largest blanket in half, filled the air and Lucy watched in shock as her cocoon exploded into a million little threads. As she fell, Lucy felt a pair of slim yet strong arms grab hold of her. Looking up, she was met by the familiar face of Liberty.

"Liberty? You..You saved me!"

"I couldn't let you just die, now could I? I'm afraid I won't be of much help in the rest of the battle so I'll go home so you can summon another, more powerful spirit." Liberty said meekly as she gracefully landed on the ground and set Lucy down.

"Liberty, you've done enough already. There's no need to apologize. Thank you for saving me." Lucy said with a smile. Hearing running feet, she turned just as Natsu threw his arms around her and buried his face into her shoulder.

"Lucy!!! You're okay!!!" he cried, hugging her tightly.

Lucy's lips curved into a smile as she gave the dragonslayer a firm squeeze back. "Natsu..."

"How did you escape? The cocoon literally just exploded!"

"Liberty freed me, it would seem. She did say she was quite skilled at getting people out of....sticky situations." Lucy replied, chuckling at her own pun. 

Natsu lifted his face out of Lucy's shoulder and glanced at Liberty. "Thank you."

"It's no problem. I better go though. Good luck." Liberty stated before disappearing.

"Lucy, I'm so glad you're okay. I was so worried." Natsu stated softly as he gave his friend another tight squeeze, as if to reassure himself that she really was there standing beside him safe and sound. 

"We can celebrate later, Natsu. Right now, we need to focus on defeating these monsters." Lucy stated. Scanning her surroundings, she noticed a bucket of water sitting completely untouched amid the ensuing chaos and ran over to it.

Natsu immediately paled. "Lucy, please tell me you're not summoning her..."

"We need her, Natsu. Trust me, I'm not looking forward to it either." Lucy replied as she took out her key ring and placed one of the keys in the water. "Gate of the Water Bearer, I open thee! Aquarius!"

A geyser of water immediately shot forth from the bucket, instantly soaking everyone within a five foot radius. When she opened her eyes, Lucy yelped in surprise when she was met with Aquarius scowling at her, their faces only inches apart.

"Did you really just summon me out of a bucket?! I have half a mind to drown you right here, right now. Do you want that?!" the mermaid barked angrily.

"N-No ma'am! I'm sorry! I wasn't thinking! Please don't kill me!" Lucy whimpered in fright. 

Aquarius rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Would you quit mumbling?! I can't understand a single thing you're saying! Now why am I here?! You didn't summon me to temporarily replace another fountain, did you?!"

"N-No, of course not! It's just..well...look up and you'll see..."

Aquarius raised an eyebrow and glanced up to see all six of Scylla's heads peering down at her. One of the heads growled menacingly, bearing its teeth. Aquarius' nose crinkled in disgust.

"Gee, what god did you tick off to get stuck looking like that?"

All six heads released an angry hiss. Aquarius' eyes narrowed.

"Did you really just hiss at me? Big mistake. Bubble Shot!" Aquarius roared, holding up her magical urn and firing cannonballs of water at Scylla. The dragon roared as the balls of water struck her, and in an attempt to get away, she began to back up. Immediately, an idea popped into Gray's head. Placing his hand on the wall, he coated it and part of the roof in a sheet of ice. Scylla's back legs instantly slid out from under her, sending her sliding off of the roof, and she hit the ground with a mighty thud, crushing several unfortunate cyclopes. Growling angrily, she rose to her feet only to get blasted by another wave of water, courtesy of Aquarius. As the beast continued to back up, the ground beneath her feet suddenly gave way, sending her plummeting into a ditch. Lucy's jaw dropped.

"When did that get there?"

"I dug it, princess. Is it satisfactory?" 

Lucy nearly jumped three feet in the air when she heard Virgo's voice behind her. "When did you get here?!"

"I've been here for awhile now. Leo sent me to watch over you shortly after he returned home." Virgo said, wearing the same blank expression as always.

"Yeah, you've done a great job at that so far. Why didn't you come help me?!" Lucy grumbled sarcastically.

"I figured you would either free yourself or summon Liberty to rescue you so I saw no need to intervene." 

"I could've died in there!"

"I'm sorry, princess. I will humbly accept whatever punishment you deem appropriate."

Lucy groaned in annoyance, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Just forget about it. Have you see that wench Arachne by chance? I would like to kindly repay her for tying me up and then leaving me to suffocate."

"Last I saw, she was fighting with Athena. Would you like me to go punish her?"

"No, I would much rather do so myself." Lucy stated, pulling out the magical whip her spirits had given her. However, she shuddered when she sensed an ominous aura pulsing behind her.

"Oh, right. Uh, you can go home now, Aquarius."

"I wasn't asking for your permission. Next time, think twice before you summon me out of a bucket or you'll wind up stranded in the middle of the ocean, you got that?!"

"Yes ma'am!"

From where the stood watching the entire incident go down, Gray, Kiyo, Sting, and Sierra all shuddered in fright. Aquarius shot a glare at them over her shoulder.

"You got something to say, fishbait?"

"No ma'am!!!"


	18. Chapter 17

((Disclaimer: Like Wendy, Apollo can heal others but not himself))

“Grrr, how much longer until I can go back? I need to go and protect Sierra!” Loke growled, punching the ground angrily.

“Leo, you must relax or you’ll take even longer to heal.” Aries cautioned as she sat beside him.

“How can I relax when Sierra is out there fighting without me protecting her and watching her back?! What if she gets snatched away again, Aries?! I can't let her get taken away from me again!” Loke exclaimed as he stood up and began to pace back and forth.

“Leo, I know how you feel, but until you’re better there’s nothing that you can do. Besides, you sent Prince to protect her in your place so there’s nothing to worry about.” Aries stated. However, only a moment later, there was a flash of light and Apollo appeared sprawled out on the ground, moaning in pain.

“Apollo?! Apollo!!!” Aries shouted, she and Loke racing to the other spirit’s side. “What happened?! You’re all beat up!”

“Apollo, how is Sierra?! Is she okay?!”

“Leo, quit being so selfish! Can't you see he’s hurt?!” Aries bleating angrily. As a little Plue carrying a small bucket of water ran over, Aries summoned a little wool into her hand and dipped it into the cool water before dabbing at some of Apollo’s wounds.

“It's alright, Aries. Sierra is fine but she has almost completely used up all of her magic power so she can't summon anyone else to protect her. While I trust Athena, Ares, and Prince, I can't help but worry about her as well.” Apollo said as he leaned into Aries’ gentle touch.

Biting his lip, Loke stood up with a look of determination in his eyes and straightened his jacket. “Screw it, I'm going back.”

“Leo, you can't! You’re not fully healed yet!”

“I don't care! I have to protect her.”

“Leo-”

“Let him go, Aries. He’s well enough and keeping him here will only agitate him further.” Apollo said as he slowly sat up, leaning against the fluffy spirit for support.

“But his emotions are clouding his judgement; he’ll likely do more harm than good if we let him go in his current state.” Aries argued

“That is true but I have a feeling he’ll calm down and think more clearly once he’s beside her. Let him go to her.” Apollo cooed, smiling up at her.

Aries bit her lip as she thought about what Apollo had said. Glancing at Leo, she shook her head and sighed in surrender.

“Fine. Don't expect any sympathy if you come back all beat up though.” she stated flatly.

“I won't. I’ll be careful, I promise.”

“Keep her safe, Leo, for both of us.”

“I will. Thank you, Apollo.”

“Don't mention it. Now go.”

“You don't need to tell me twice.” Leo said with a smile and then disappeared in a bright flash.

“He’s going to wear himself out if he keeps doing things like this.” Aries muttered as she turned her attention back to Apollo.

“People do crazy things when they’re in love.” he chuckled in reply.

Aries’ eyes softened as she gazed down at him.

“How do you feel?” she asked softly as she brushed a few stray strands of hair out of his eyes.

“A little better. After all, you’re here.” 

Aries immediately blushed bright red, causing Apollo to laugh. Unfortunately, the sudden movement sent a sharp pain ripping through his side, causing him to hiss in pain.

“Careful! You need to rest.” Aries exclaimed. Summoning a large pillow of wool, she helped Apollo onto it and rearranged parts of the cotton candy pink fluff till she was satisfied with it. Apollo smiled at her tediousness and gently grabbed her hand.

“Aries, I'm alright, I promise. Please stop worrying.”

“I'm your girlfriend, Apollo; it's my job.”

“I would feel much better cuddling you than this wool.”

“Nice try but you know the risk of us getting caught would be too great. I'm still not ready to tell the others just yet.”

“Alright Aries, but you owe me some snuggles later.” Apollo smiled, kissing the little sheep’s hand and making her bleat in embarrassment.

“How long have you two been a thing?” a voice interrupted.

“Aquarius?!” Aries immediately turned around to see the mermaid hovering behind her, a smirk on her face. “H-How long have you been standing there? I thought Miss Lucy called you to help.”

“I came back a couple minutes ago. I have to say, you two are pretty cute together. I wonder how Aphrodite will react when I tell her?”

“You wouldn't dare!” 

“You’re right. I really should tell Artemis first since she’s Apollo sister.”

“No!”

“And after that I’ll rub in it Lucy’s face that even her most timid spirit got a boyfriend before her. Oh yes, that will be great. I better hurry and spread the word. Ciao!”

“Aquarius!!! Get back here!!! Aquarius!!!” A flustered Aries called but the mermaid was already long gone.

\----------------------

Sierra shrieked in surprise when she was suddenly enveloped from behind by a pair of strong arms and instinctively elbowed whoever was holding her as hard as she could.

“Ouch! What was that for?!” A familiar voice cried out as the owner let go of the blonde and hugged his gut.

“Leo? Leo!!!” Sierra cried, spinning around and wrapping her boyfriend in a tight hug. “What are you doing back out already?! There’s no way you’re already healed. You need to go back!”

“Not a chance. I'm not leaving you out here, especially not after seeing how chaotic this battle is.” Loke stated, slugging an incoming harpy in the jaw and knocking her out.

“I have Prince to protect me; I don't want you overexerting yourself when you’re not well.” Sierra argued as she raised her crossbow and shot arrows through the skulls of two approaching Gegenees.

“You’re one to talk! If this battle goes on for much longer, you’ll use up what little magic energy you have left and pass out! I’m not leaving unless you’re coming with me.” Loke stated firmly, his eyes locking with hers.

When she saw the determination and fire in her boyfriend’s eyes, Sierra sighed in surrender and shook her head. “We need to find Athena. She is the only one who can come up with a battle plan capable of ending this chaos quickly. I sent Prince to look for her but he had yet to return-”

“Oniisan!!! You’re here!” Prince exclaimed as he suddenly leaped out of nowhere and hugged Loke.

“Prince, let go! This is really not the time!” Loke exclaimed as he pried the younger lion’s arms from around him.

“Did you find Athena?” Sierra asked.

“I did. This way!” Prince replied, gesturing for the two to follow him before racing back into the crowd.

Ducking, dodging, and punching their way across the battlefield, the trio dove deeper and deeper into the battle. Before long, Sierra spotted a pink blur and a blonde blur colliding over and over at the center of the field. Her eyes immediately lit up.

“There she is! Athena-Hey! Ares! What are you doing?! Let me go!” Sierra exclaimed when Ares suddenly reached out and grabbed her arm, halting her in her tracks.

“I wouldn't get into the middle of that I were you.” Ares said in a stern tone as he watched Athena and Arachne attack each other. “Those two have held a grudge against another since before the first celestial mage was ever born. If you want to live, it would be in your best interest to stay out of their way.”

“But we need to talk to her! Everyone’s going to run out of magic energy long before we beat all of these spirits; we need a strategy that will allow us to take them out before then.”

“What am I, chopped liver? I’m the war god, ya know. I can come up with battle plans too!” Ares grumbled.

“Well, do you have a plan?” Prince asked, folding his arms across his chest.

Ares didn't respond right away. “Not really…”

Growling, Loke shoved Ares off of Sierra and grabbed her hand. “We’re talking with Athena. Prince, you think you can take Arachne down?”

Prince nodded and prepared to pounce into the middle of the ultimate cat fight when Ares again stepped in the way. The Nemean Lion’s eyes narrowed.

“Ares, move over.”

“I won't let you get involved. If you step in and beat Arachne, Athena’s pride will be damaged. Trust me, I despise Athena with every fiber of my being, but there are unwritten rules among us gods regarding our various squabbles. Anything that might permanently damage a god’s pride is forbidden, including interfering unless asked in certain battles such as ones between a god and another being who has insulted him or her.”

“Well that’s stupid. What if he or she is losing but chooses to be stubborn instead of asking for help?” Prince remarked.

“Then that is the god’s choice and the rest of us are to respect it. You have to try to understand, Prince; a god’s or goddess’ pride is his or her most prized possession. If it is damaged, it takes a long time to heal and the side effects of that healing period can be devastating for both us spirits and the mortals alike. If you want to defeat this army quickly, we’ll have to come up with a strategy without Athena’s help.” Ares stated.

Prince groaned and folded his arms across his chest. “Where the heck is Zeus when we need him? He could just zap everyone and end this whole thing at one.”

Loke frowned and held his chin, a thoughtful “hmm” reverberating from his lips. Sierra glanced up at him and could practically see the gears turning his head as his vibrant hazel irises remained fixed on the dwindling flock of Stymphalian birds in the distance. Suddenly, the leader of the Zodiacs started to smile.

“Prince, you’re a genius!” he exclaimed.

Prince’s brows knit together in confusion. “I am?”

“Yes! Ares, do you know where Freed is?” Loke asked.

“I saw him heading over to help the freak in the knight helmet with a cluster of dracanae nearby. Do you have a plan, Leo?” Ares asked.

“Possibly. Prince, I need you to go get Laxus and bring him back. Sierra and I will get Freed. Ares, once you see a ring of lacrimas floating overhead, signal for everyone to retreat and move away from the guild.”

“Retreat?! Have you lost it, Leo?! I don't do retreats!” Ares growled.

“Just trust me! I know what I'm doing! Prince, rendezvous with us by that cluster of oak trees off to the right.”

“Yes sir.” 

Tightening his grip on Sierra, Loke guided her over towards the crowd of monsters with heads and torsos and long, pine green snake tails from the waist down. In the middle of the group, he could see green hair and a purple feather flying as Freed and Bickslow lashed out at their attackers. Raising her crossbow, Sierra aimed and fired the arrow in an arch towards the center of the cluster.

“Arrow Rain!” she shouted and the arrow immediately divided into multiple arrows that showered down on the snake women and turned them to stardust, Freed and Bickslow remaining completely unharmed.

“Loke, what are you doing back already? Shouldn't you still be healing in the Celestial Spirit World?” Bickslow stated when he noticed the lion spirit holding tightly onto his girlfriend.

“That’s not important at the moment. Freed, I have a strategy that I think will end this battle before we all run out of magic energy but I need your help. I need you to put up a barrier that only lets allies of Sabertooth and Fairy Tail through. Can you do that?” Loke replied.

Freed raised an eyebrow but nodded. “I can but I’ll need some cover.”

“Bickslow and I can give it to you.” Sierra stated. Placing a kiss on Loke’s cheek, she spoke in a soft yet firm voice, “I’ll meet you outside the barrier once all of this is over, okay?”

“Alright. Be careful.” Loke purred as he pressed his forehead gently against his girlfriend’s before the two ran off in different directions. Heading over to the pack of nearby oak trees he had mentioned to Prince, he saw the younger lion standing alongside the lightning dragonslayer and hastily met them in the shade.

“You’re back already?” Laxus stated, raising an eyebrow.

“Why does everyone keep bringing that up? There are things more important than my wellbeing, people; I'm immortal so I'm not exactly going anywhere.” Loke stated, earning an eye roll. “Anyways, I know you’re not going to be happy about this, but I need you to use your Thunder Palace spell, Laxus.”

Laxus stared at Loke like two extra heads had sprouted from his shoulders. 

“I'm not doing that.” He said gruffly as he turned away, his lips set in a deep frown.

“Laxus, I know you vowed to never use that spell again after the incident, but right now, it’s our greatest chance for success. Please, just once more; your friends...no, your family need you.”

Clenching his jaw, Laxus raised his eyes and observed two battles going on before him. He watched as a sweat-drenched Frosch, Skylar, and Pantherlily dove and dashed intricately through the air as the herded the few Stymphalian birds left into one spot so Hana and Gajeel could deliver the final blow. He saw Natsu and Sting standing back to back and grinning like idiots as they competed to see who could take down more opponents while Evergreen and Erza simultaneously bickered with each other and struck down any spirit stupid enough to get too close. He watched Lucy and Kiyo then Levy and Gray, and he watched Bickslow and Sierra knock down opponents left and right as Freed placed a Jutsu Shiki barrier around the horde of spirits. They were all doing everything they could to take down these spirits; it wouldn’t be right for him not to do the same.

“Alright. I won’t place a long time limit on it though so everyone who doesn’t want to be toasted alive needs to get out of the way fast.” he grunted.

Loke’s lips curved into a smile. “Thank you, Laxus. I owe you big time.”

“You owe me nothing. It's my job to protect my family so that's exactly what I'm doing.” Laxus said as he closed his eyes and raised his hands, muttering a few indecipherable words under his breath. 

Slowly, a halo of lacrimas appeared, materializing in the air one by one, within Freed’s barrier. The bellow of a loud war horn echoed through the air, followed by choruses shouting and the stampeding of feet as the Fairies and Tigers alike raced through the barriers, leaving their opponents trapped inside. Soon, the only one who hadn't retreated was Athena. As she took another swipe at Arachne, she glanced at the sky and caught a glance at the lacrimas overhead. She could feel the energy coursing through the air as they charged up and prepared to go off. Knowing she had to leave if she didn't want to be electrocuted, she spun on her heels but stopped when she heard Arachne snickering at her.

“Running away like a coward now, Athena? I thought you were better than that.” the spider woman sneered, her beady eyes sparkling maliciously.

Growling, the goddess turned back to the spider and raised her spear, pointing it at her chest. She knew she needed to leave before the lacrimas activated but her pride glued her feet to the ground. She had to come up with a plan and fast.

“Of course not. Don't flatter yourself.” she stated flatly in an effort to stall as her mind ran hundreds of calculations per second. It needed to be simple but clever since Arachne was used to her tricks. However, Athena knew Arachne’s weaknesses too, and as the last puzzle pieces of her plan fell into place, a rather eerie smile graced her lips. 

“I must say I'm disappointed in you too, Arachne. Even after all these years, your weaving is as sloppy and poor as ever.” she cooed.

Arachne growled as she clenched her hands into fists. “What did you just say?!”

“Honestly, your cocoon for Lucy was so poorly woven that it just fell apart; Liberty barely had to do a thing to destroy it. Your current skills pale in comparison to your former craftsmanship but such is to be expected when you have been cursed by a goddess for your arrogance.”

“Shut up! You still doubt my weaving abilities even after all these years? Well, I’ll snuff them out once and for all by defeating you with the very threads you criticize. Take this, you pompous goddess!” Arachne roared as she shot a blast of webbing from her fingertips. However, Athena quickly raised her spear to block and the threads attached to the shaft of her weapon instead.

“Got ya!” Athena smirked before grabbing the webbing and yanking Arachne toward her. Looping the silvery strands around the spider, she tied her to the spear and sank the point deep into the ground. Once she was satisfied, she turned and fled through the barrier just as the first bolts of lightning struck. Pained screams echoed behind her as the enemy spirits were electrocuted before they disappeared, forced to return home to their own world to nurse their wounds. Sighing wearily, Athena dropped to her knees the her exhaustion sank in and was immediately enveloped by a pair of warm, gentle arms.

“ATHENA!!! THANK GOODNESS!!! I was so worried when I couldn't find you with everyone else. Don't ever do that to me again; my heart can’t take it.” Sierra said as she gave the goddess of loving squeeze.

The goddess mustered a faint chuckle as she hugged her master in return. “My sincerest apologies, Sierra. I did not mean to make you worry, but I just couldn't leave Arachne alone without teaching her a lesson first. However, I promise this shall not happen again.”

“Good, it better not. You should return to the spirit realm now; you look ready to pass out.”

“I cannot do that; the battle is not yet over.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“Haven't you noticed?”

Glancing behind her, Sierra scanned the crowd, and upon realizing one important face was missing, her stomach twisted into a balloon animal.

“Yukino?! Hey, has anyone seen Yukino?!” Sierra exclaimed.

Murmurs rise from the group as everyone looked around, but the timid celestial wizard was nowhere to be seen. Sting’s skin immediately turned deathly pale.

“Yukino?! Yukino?! Yukino, where are you?! Yukino!!!” he called.

Raising her nose into the air, Hana took several deep sniffs but when a familiar odor greeted her nose she immediately stopped and started grunting as her nose burned. “Ugh, Dragonweed! I can't track her!”

“No...Yukino….” Sting fell to his knees as big crocodile tears poured down his cheeks.

Silence fell over the group as the gravity of the situation set in. Hana knelt beside Sting and pulled him into a comforting hug as the others lowered their heads

“Even after we won the battle, we still lost in the end.” Lucy mumbled.

“Yukino, we’re so sorry.” Sierra whispered.

Suddenly, a chill ran down everyone's spines as a large, black blob raced along the ground at their feet before leaping into the air and changing into four beings. Sting blinked in disbelief and rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

“Yukino? YUKINO!!! YOU’RE OKAY!!!” he cried as he ran up to her and snatched her from Rogue’s arms, giving her a bonecrushing hug. Yukino’s face heated up from embarrassment but after seeing the happiness on Sting’s face, she awkwardly hugged him back.

“Where were you? I was really worried.” Sting whimpered as he nuzzled her cheek with his nose.

“I believe these two can answer that question.” Rogue said flatly as he tossed Orion and an unconscious Echidna down at Sting’s feet. “After fleeing the guildhall myself since you all seemed to have forgotten about me, I saw the loyal hunter carrying a bound Yukino and followed him till he met up with whatever she-beast this is.”

“Rogue-san!” Frosch cried as he ran to the dragonslayer’s side and hugged his leg. Rogue immediately smiled down at the little cat and scooped him into his arms.

“Frosch, you’re all sweaty.”

“Fro helped protect Rogue and Fro’s family. Fro battled scary birds with the dragonslayers. Fro carried Laxus-san. He needs to eat less; he was much heavier than Rogue.” Frosch babbled as he hugged Rogue’s neck. “Fro is glad Rogue-San and Yukino-san are safe.”

Meanwhile, Athena scowled at Orion. “So you were working for The Collector all along. I'm not surprised to say the least.”

“But I don't understand. Yukino had Orion’s key. It was given to her as a gift by a client.”

“The key is a fake. I snapped it in half and it didn't affect him at all. The client probably was acting or being manipulated when he gave it to her.”

“That’s why Orion appeared on his own before Yukino could summon him: to prevent her from finding out the key wasn’t real.” Sierra said as everything came together 

“Precisely. Orion, it would be in your best interest to start talking.” Athena stated flatly but the hunter merely glared up at her.

“I have nothing to say to you. You do not frighten me, goddess. Soon, I will have a power you never did, and then you shall be scared of me. See you soon, mewling wells.” Orion sneered before his and Echidna’s bodies turned to golden stardust.

“No! Why didn't somebody grab a strand of his hair or a piece of his jacket? If he works for The Collector then that means we could’ve used a possession of his for one the tracking spells to take us there! We just blew our biggest chance at finding Sierra’s grandfather and Sephora!” Prince roared angrily.

“Prince, calm down.” Loke stated only to be ignored.

“Don't tell me to calm down, Leo! I will NOT calm down! We were this close to getting what we needed but now we’re right back to square one!”

“Not necessarily. Rogue, do you have the pieces of the fake key?” Athena cooed.

Rogue nodded and pulled out the shards, handing them to the goddess. The entire crowd grew deathly still as Athena peered down at the shards, turning them over in her hand and running her fingers their surface. Frowning she turns to Sierra, “My lady, I know you are still weary from battle but do you have enough energy left to summon one last spirit? I need Hephaestus for this.” 

“Of course. I might need a little help though.” Sierra replied as she drew our Hephaestus’ key.

“I’ll help.” Lucy said as she stepped forward and wrapped her fingers together around the key as well. “On three, alright? One...two…three!”

“Gate of the Blacksmith, I open thee! Hephaestus!” both girls shouted in unison.

Unlike most spirits, Hephaestus appears in a gust of fire. Looking around, his eyes immediately narrowed when he saw Ares but he said nothing.

“What do you need, Sierra?” he asked, tearing his eyes from his rival.

“Athena has some shards from a fake key that she needs you to look at.” Sierra answered.

Glancing at the shards, Hephaestus took them into his own calloused hands and examined each one closely.

“Well, what can you assess?” Athena questioned.

“This false key was definitely made here on earth. What is peculiar about it is the stone. This type of stone is very rare and can only be found in one place in all of Fiore: a mountain known as the Heavenseeker Peak. Despite this stone being very rare and coveted, many people will not go near the peak because of the ominous woods surrounding it. Rumors of ghosts, demons, and other bloodthirsty creature residing in its shadows have spread like wildfire, frightening the locals to move their villages several miles from its edge. Most who go in don't come back, and if they do, it's usually in pieces.”

Hana held her chin thoughtfully. “A rock found in only one region of Fiore, ominous woods that no one dares to explore….Sierra, are you thinking what I am?”

“Yes. There’s no doubt about it; those woods have to be where my grandfather is hiding.” Sierra stated.

“Then we shall begin our journey there at the crack of dawn tomorrow. For now, we have some construction work to do.” Erza stated as she turned to the partially destroyed Sabertooth guildhall. Everyone else sweatdropped.

“Great.”

 

\-----------------------------

When he heard the door to the study open, Kronos looked up to see Eris filing in a towel and a tray in her hands. With a reluctant sigh, he sat down on the stool near the fireplace and allowed her to drape the towel over his shoulders.

“The master is so mean, Kronos. I can't believe he is forcing you to cut off all of your pretty hair.” Eris whined as she brushed the silky silver locks.

“I am not happy about it either but I cannot afford to show any resistance now that we are so close to our goal.” Kronos replied. As Eros started snipping away, he continued. “Is everything proceeding on schedule?”

“Yes. The fairies should be here by tomorrow night at the latest.” Eris cooed excitedly. “We’re so close, Kronos. We’re finally going to get what we’ve always wanted.”

“Indeed. Are you nervous, love?” 

“A little, but I know I need not fear anything as long as you are by my side.”

As he watched the long tendrils of his shorn hair fall to the floor, Kronos’ hands curled into fists. “Eris, I promise you, our days of bowing to those inferior humans are over. Soon, they shall be bowing before us.”


End file.
